APRIL 17, 2013 — An Italian shipyard owner, his son and five others have been placed under house arrest in Messina, Sicily, after being charged with the illegal transportation of hazardous waste.

According to published reports, those arrested are Antonino Palumbo, 63, who runs the Palumbo Shipyards of Malta, his son Raffaele Palumbo, 38, who resides in Messina, Santo Scopelliti, 37, Diego De Domenico, 53, Mario Fiero, 38, Walter Radin, 57 and Raffaele Donnarumma, 39.

The arrests comes following a two-year investigation by Italian environmental police (Corpo Forestale) and relate to allegations of using maritime transportation for thr illegal disposal of grit blasting waste from the Messina shipyard of Palumbo Spa, which also operates shipyards in Naples and Malta.

Reports quotes Palumbo's defense attorney, Francesco Picca, as saying that his clients were innocent and had in the past initiated civil action against subcontractors in relation to how they were disposing of  grit blasting waste.