The Skipper of a factory trawler has been sent forward for trial by judge and jury after he was charged with a number of fishing offences off the Irish coast earlier this week.
William Van Der Boon (40) from Katwijk, Netherlands was brought before Cork District Court today where he was charged with seven offences in relation to his command of the 116 metre German registered trawler, Helen Mary.
The trawler is owned by Oberdank Hochsee Fisherei in Germany and is registered in Rostock in Germany and all seven charges relate to the alleged breach of European Union fishing regulations within the exclusive fisheries limits of the state.
The Supertrawler ‘Helen Mary’ at Tivoli Docks, Cork
Pic Michael Mac Sweeney/Provision
Mr Van Der Boon was charged with one summary offence that on February 16th he failed to comply with the direction of Sea Fisheries Protection Officer Thomas Ferron within the exclusive fishery limits of the state which can be dealt with a district court level.
He was also charged with six indictable offences to be dealt with at circuit court level including that he failed as Master of the Helen Mary to provide a boarding ladder to facilitate safe and convenient access to the vessel enabling inspectors to embark and disembark safely at sea.
And he was also charged with two other charges relating to the boarding ladder, namely that he failed to have it positioned and secured correctly so each step rested firmly against the trawler’s side and that he failed to ensure the steps on the ladder were not less than 115mm wide.
Mr Van Der Boon was also charged with three documentary offences including one charge that he had equipment for grading horse mackerel by size on board the Helen Mary without having the required certificate of derogation to have such equipment on board.
And he was also charged with offences of failing to provide a properly certified drawing outlining the Helen Mary’s capability to discharge waste catch overboard and failing to have on board a drawing relating to the trawler’s catch handling ability.
Garda Dermot Broughton of Mayfield Garda Station gave evidence of arrest, charge and caution and told the court that when he charged Mr Van Der Boon with all seven offences at Lisheen Berth, Tivoli Docks in Cork, the Dutch master made no reply to any of the charges.
Crewmen aboard the Supertrawler ‘Helen Mary’ at Tivoli Docks, Cork
Pic Michael Mac Sweeney/Provision
State Solicitor Frank Nyhan said the DPP had directed trial by indictment on six of the charges and a book of evidence had been served on the accused and he sought to have him remanded on bail on his own bond to the next sittings of Cork Circuit Criminal Court on April 28th.
Defence solicitor Dermot Conway said the state had agreed for the owners of the Helen Mary to lodge a cash bond of €425,000 to allow the vessel to be released and he said that the state were happy in those circumstances for Mr Van Der Boon not to have to lodge his own cash bond.
Mr Nyhan said that the state was satisfied to forego any cash bond by Mr Van Der Boon in those circumstances and they were happy for the Helen Mary to be released from detention on Mr Conway’s undertaking that the €425,000 cash bond would be lodged with the Court Services.
Judge Mary Dorgan accepted the State application for a remand on bail and she remanded the accused to the next sitting of Cork Circuit Criminal Courts on April 28th on the six indictable charges and to Cork District Court on the same date on the single summary offence.
Following the court appearance the SFPA released a statement to The Skipper
The Sea-Fisheries protection Authority (SFPA) confirms that seven charges under sea-fisheries law have been brought against the master of the German registered pelagic fishing trawler, the MFV, Helen Mary. The Master of the fishing vessel was brought before Cork District Court this morning, the 20th February, where the Book of Evidence was served on him. The Director of Public Prosecutions directed that charges relating to suspected offences of illegal equipment use, a non-compliant boarding ladder, and non-compliant plans in relation to the vessel be prosecuted on indictment in the Circuit Court. A summary charge of failing to comply with a direction of a Sea-Fisheries Protection Officer of the SFPA was also brought against the vessel master. The master was released on bail to appear before Cork Circuit Criminal Court on the 28th of April 2025. The Court ordered that the vessel be released on the payment of a bond of €425,000.
On Sunday 16th February, Officers onboard the European Fisheries Control Agency’s (EFCA’s) Offshore Patrol Vessel, under a Joint Deployment Plan, detected suspected infringements of European fisheries legislation involving the Helen Mary in the Irish Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The Joint Deployment Plans (JDP) framework provides the legal basis where the relationships of joint deployment of inspections assets/inspectors are set and are applicable to all assets of the concerned Member States and EFCA. When operating in EU waters, the EFCA inspectors always have Union Inspectors from Members States onboard and they are the leading inspectors.
The Supertrawler ‘Helen Mary’ is escorted past Blackrock Castle before being berthed at Tivoli Docks, Cork
Pic Michael Mac Sweeney/Provision
Nice that his adress is online….
It is standard reporting on court cases in Ireland to publish the address of the defendant in court proceedings to ensure that anyone of the same name is not misidentified as the defendant.
As a matter of courtesy i have removed his street address and just said he is a resident of Katwijk
I hope this will suffice.