Tsuen Wan Magistracy Court has sentenced two men to two months' imprisonment suspended for 18 months after they were convicted of exporting waste oil without a permit on June 1.

On May 30, the Customs & Excise Department stopped a Hong Kong registered vessel and a modified vehicle along the seafront at Tam Kon Shan Road in Tsing Yi.

The two men were found pumping waste mineral oil from the vehicle to the boat. One man, aged 61, was the vessel owner and the second man, 38, was the vessel master. The case was referred to Environmental Protection Department for investigation. Under caution, the defendants admitted they intended to export the waste oil to the Mainland.

Theirs is the fourth imprisonment case under the Waste Disposal Ordinance since the control of waste import and export offences was implemented.

Under the ordinance, waste mineral oil is classified as chemical waste and export of such waste requires a permit from the department. Failure to comply is an offence liable to a maximum fine of $200,000 and six months in prison.

The Environmental Protection Department hopes the verdict will help deter illegal waste movements across the boundary.