Al-Samha

On Nov 27, 2025, the Marseille public prosecutor's office fined four ships a total of €465,000 for marine and air pollution. It had signed judicial agreements in the public interest (CJIPs), a special procedure that formalised a financial penalty but also required the ships to bring themselves into compliance. The first case concerns two Italian ships that passed through the port of Marseille in the winter of 2022, which were fined €165,000. One, the 'Jolly Vanadio', now sailing as 'Al Samha', had anchored near the Côte Bleue and discharged its wash water into the sea for six hours. The other, the 'Jolly Palladio', now sailing as 'Al Bateen', emitted sulfur emissions far exceeding the permitted limits. The second case concerned the bulk carrier 'SM Roberts Banks', registered in the Marshall Islands and operated by a Korean company, which transported iron ore. It too discharged untreated polluted water off the coast of Fos in the fall of 2023. It was fined €120,000. The third case was the most serious. It concerned the tanker 'Kriti King', registered in Liberia and operated by a Greek company. It was found guilty of three violations while anchored in Fos in February 2024 and fined €180,000. The use of an open-loop scrubber resulted in the release of 72 million liters of contaminated seawater.