Shipyard’s CEO arrested over chemical dumping

Palumbo Malta Shipyard CEO Antonio Palumbo has been arrested by the Sicilian authorities in connection with the illegal dumping of chemicals. Mr Palumbo, 63, and his son Raffaele, 38, both from Naples, were taken into custody yesterday by the Sicilian environmental authorities, along with another four people from Messina and Trieste. The two were released on bail. They are charged with conspiracy to commit environmental crimes in Messina and destroying and suppressing public documents. Investigations began in 2011 when officials from the Sicilian Forestry Department took samples of blasting additives – which are added to water used for stripping ship paint – from the Messina shipyards owned by the Palumbo family and matched it to hazardous waste dumped illegally. According to Italian press reports, prosecutors said the judge handling the preliminary investigations also ordered about €226,000 to be seized from the firm’s assets, a sum that matches the savings Palumbo Spa is alleged to have made from the disposal of hazardous waste generated at their yard. When contacted yesterday, Mr Palumbo protested his innocence, saying the charges were the result of the “delicate political...