Read Authentic Ratings for the Sm-Roberts-Bank

On November 27, 2025, the Marseille public prosecutor's office took decisive action against four vessels, imposing a hefty total fine of €465,000 for offenses related to marine and air pollution. This legal action was anchored in judicial agreements in the public interest (CJIPs), a unique procedure that not only formalizes financial penalties but also mandates compliance from the offending ships. The first case targeted two Italian ships that traversed the Port of Marseille during the winter of 2022, resulting in a combined fine of €165,000. The vessel 'Jolly Vanadio', now known as 'Al Samha', was found guilty of anchoring near the Côte Bleue and illegally discharging wash water into the sea for an extended six-hour period. Alongside it, the 'Jolly Palladio', currently sailing as 'Al Bateen', was penalized for releasing sulfur emissions significantly beyond allowable limits. In a separate incident, the bulk carrier 'SM Roberts Banks', registered in the Marshall Islands and operated by a Korean company, drew criticism for discharging untreated polluted water off the coast of Fos in the fall of 2023. This action resulted in a fine of €120,000. The most severe case involved the tanker 'Kriti King', registered in Liberia and managed by a Greek company. Found guilty of three serious violations while anchored in Fos in February 2024, 'Kriti King' was fined €180,000 after it was determined that the vessel's use of an open-loop scrubber led to the release of a staggering 72 million liters of contaminated seawater into the marine environment. The Marseille prosecutor's office continues to emphasize the importance of protecting marine ecosystems and upholding environmental regulations.

On September 21, 2023, the bulk carrier SM Roberts Bank was inspected at the Arcelor Quay in Fos-sur-Mer, where it had arrived to discharge ore. The French ship safety center (CSN) conducted an assessment of the vessel's documentation and discovered that it had used its scrubber smoke filter in a prohibited three nautical mile zone. This operation led to the discharge of polluted water into the sea in order to wash away exhaust fumes. Furthermore, the specialized coastal prosecutor's office revealed that an investigation, conducted by the maritime gendarmerie and CSN, found the fuel used by the vessel hours after docking exceeded the maximum allowable sulfur content of 0.1%. Following these findings, the Marseille prosecutor's office ordered judicial immobilization of the vessel, which was lifted on September 27 after the South Korean-operating company paid a deposit of 80,000 Euros. The SM Roberts Bank then resumed its journey, arriving in Dunkirk on October 6. The ship's captain is scheduled for a trial in July 2024. Both the company and the captain have denied intentionally breaching regulations, arguing that they adhered to software protocols meant to ensure compliance with sulfur content limits in the designated three-mile zone and at the dock. Due to these infractions, the operating company faces a hefty fine of one million Euros.