The master of a German-registered super trawler has appeared in court charged with seven breaches of fishing regulations after his fishing vessel was detained off the south-west coast of Ireland.
Willem Van Der Boon, aged 44, with an address in the Netherlands, appeared before Cork District Court today after his vessel Helen Mary was detained last Sunday for suspected fishing infringements, 60 nautical miles south of Fastnet.
Garda Dermot Broughton, of Mayfield Garda Station, gave evidence of the arrest, charge and caution of Mr Van Der Boon at the Port of Cork's Lisheen berth in Tivoli earlier today.
Garda Broughton said Mr Van Der Boon made no reply when charged.
The skipper of the 116-metre trawler faces seven charges: failure to provide a boarding ladder to facilitate safe and convenient access to the boat, which is required to be in good order and be efficient for the purpose of enabling inspectors to embark and disembark safely at sea.
He is also charged with failing to have the ladder positioned securely and failing to meet step measurement requirements.
He is also charged with having equipment on board capable of automatically grading Horse Mackerel by size where no derogation was provided for this; failing to have onboard a discharge capability drawing certified by the competent authorities; and failing to have onboard a drawing which related to the catch-handling capability.
Mr Van Der Boon also faces a charge of failing to comply with a direction made by a Sea Fisheries Protection Authority inspector on Sunday 16 February.
State solicitor Frank Nyhan told Judge Mary Dorgan that the Director of Public Prosecutions had directed that Mr Van Der Boon should be tried on indictment at the next sessions of the Circuit Criminal Court in Cork.
He said the book of evidence in the case has been served and the State was seeking for the vessel's master to be returned for trial on 28 April next.
Mr Nyhan said the State had no objection to him being released on bail on his own bond of €10,000 given "a very significant bond" of €425,000 has been entered into for the release of the vessel.
Mr Van Der Boon's solicitor Dermot Conway told Judge Dorgan that he has given an undertaking to furnish the cleared funds, to cover the release of the vessel, to the court within seven days. The State said this was agreeable to them.
Judge Dorgan remanded the trawler's master on bail to appear before Cork Circuit Criminal Court on 28 April.
The Helen Mary is scheduled to leave the Port of Cork tonight.
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