A ship which dumped toxic waste in Ivory Coast killing six people tried to shed a foul-smelling load in Amsterdam a month earlier but was told it must pay more to do so, Amsterdam port authorities said.
Public outcry over the dumped toxic black sludge, which made thousands sick in the port city of Abidjan, resulted in the resignation of the government in the war-divided West African country last week.
A spokesman for Amsterdam port authority said on Wednesday the Panamanian-registered ship the Probo Koala had docked in Amsterdam in July and chartered Amsterdam Port Services (APS) to discharge the slops.