An avoidable grounding in a sensitive area
On July 7, 2022, the Naughty Lux, a 19-meter yacht from Monaco, ran aground just off the coast of the Agriates Desert, in a classified area of the Cap Corse Marine Park. Weather conditions were mild, but the owner, a 76-year-old Italian lawyer, was not at the helm: he was having breakfast, leaving the autopilot to manage the navigation. The lack of a visual watch in the coastal zone was cited by the president of the court as a serious fault.
A major environmental impact
As a result of the impact, the boat broke up, releasing 2,000 liters of diesel and 26 batteries. Debris was scattered over an area of 1.5 hectares, both on land and at sea, to a depth of eight meters. The court emphasized the damage caused to Posidonia meadows, a protected marine plant. Although the pollution was judged to be "contained", it remains significant for such a fragile area.
Four months of clean-up for a single case of negligence
The clean-up and debris removal operations took almost four months. Complex logistics were deployed to remove wreck fragments and pollutants in delicate conditions. The work, supervised by the maritime and environmental authorities, aimed to limit the ecological after-effects on this classified area.
An exemplary sentence
The Maritime Court sentenced the yachtsman to one year's imprisonment, a three-year ban on sailing in France, and a fine of 20,000 euros. He will also have to pay over 31,000 euros in damages to the Collectivité de Corse and the Office de l'environnement. This heavy penalty is motivated by the owner's behavior, who lost interest in his vessel after the accident, shirking all responsibility.
When irresponsibility increases the penalty
This judgment marks a turning point in the handling of cases of marine pollution caused by pleasure craft. It illustrates the increasing severity with which the courts are dealing with negligent behavior at sea. The skipper's total lack of reaction after the grounding and his carelessness in dealing with the consequences clearly weighed in the balance, transforming a fault into an exemplary conviction.
