美國就船源污染刑事追訴制度研究

Abstract

今年是地球日50周年，美國政府自1990年代後期開始啟動船舶污染防治計畫，對蓄意造成海洋污染的船東提出刑事追訴。不僅為國家獲得高額罰款收益，還能將部分款項撥到全美各地作為海洋生態復育基金，是世界上執行《防止船舶污染國際公約(MARPOL公約)》最成功的國家。\n\n因政治上的限制，台灣並非《聯合國海洋法公約》締約國，儘管國內用公告方式生效《防止船舶污染國際公約》與相關附則，但並未有明確罰則以嚇阻蓄意違反公約相關規定，致造成來自船源排放違法物質污染海洋之行為。\n\n本論文係以船東視角，整理分析美國20年來船東因違反《防止船舶污染國際公約》所致之海事刑事起訴案件，研究美國將來自船源污染案刑事入罪的執法模式，檢視美國司法單位如何跨部門緊密合作，從偵查、起訴到結案。用最少的國家司法資源，完成嚴謹的執法，為國家獲得最大的利益，成功遏止環境犯罪蔓延。其中吹哨者獎勵機制及環保法令遵循計畫，是最值得我國未來立法可參考的部分。藉由吹哨者獎勵與保護機制，鼓勵大眾勇於揭弊，嚇阻不法。目前國內法令遵循計畫偏重財經方面，未來可考慮增加環境犯罪法人於緩刑期間，須由法院指派專人監管執行環保法令遵循計畫的規定，敦促企業加強公司治理、落實環保法規、善盡企業社會責任。\n\n船東在兼顧營運獲利與保護環境法益的社會責任同時，必須與時俱進，精熟環保法規，定期更新船舶設備與加強船員工作訓練，避免人為疏失可能帶來公司的營運風險。

This year is the 50th Anniversary of the Earth Day. The United States has initiated the Vessel Pollution Program, which began in the late 1990s, the criminal action instituted against the shipowners who intentional polluted the ocean have brought not only substantial criminal fines revenues to the government, but also provided financial supports to the nationwide restitution of local marine environments. Upto to now, United States is the most successful country in enforcing the MARPOL Convention.\n\nDue to political constraint, Taiwan is not a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Despite of the fact that we have codified the MARPOL Convention into our domestic laws, there is no stipulation in law that can make knowing violation of the Convention a felony or stricter criminal sanctions against the violators to avoid the recurrence of the intentional discharge of illegal substances from ships into our sea.\n\nThis essay is to analyze the major MARPOL investigation cases conducted by the United States in recent 20 years from Shipowner’s perstpective. Reviewing the process of criminalization of MARPOL violation cases, we can learn the perfect cooperation among the government agencies from case initiation, investigation, prosecution, to sentencing. Various measures have been taken that facilitate the prosecution, amoung which the implementation of whilstleblower award/protection scheme and environmental compliance clan can be taken into the consideration for our future amendment of relevant envornmental protection laws. The whistleblower award/protection scheme encourages people to pay attention to the potential polution crimes and provide with evidences that can facilitate the prosecution of violation case and reduce the burden of proof/workload on the part of the prosecutors.\n\nMoreover, the concept of compliance plan in our domestic law is soley focus on the financial related matters. In future, it is suggested to invoke similar system into our governming laws requiring the corporate criminal who violate the environemtal protection law to be subject to the scruinity of environmental compliance plan. It will assist not only the corporate to strengthen its corporate governmence but also excrcise its due diligence in full compliance with the relevant terms and conditions of the environmental protection laws.\n\nThe Shipowners/Operators must ensure commitments from all employees including shoreside personnels and/or crews’ strict compliance with company’s environmental policies and all revevant international conventions and governing laws without fail.