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Republic of Germany. Thereby, 212 oil pollutions were ascertained and 16 
culprits were identified. 
With regard to the increasing number of oil pollutions, the task, dele 
gated to the DHI, of the prosecution and punishment of infringements 
against the obligation to keep Oil Record Books gains ever greater 
significance. 42 preliminary legal proceedings were instituted and, up 
to the end of September 1985, 35 fines were issued. In 121 cases of 
punishable acts or illegal offences, which were commited by vessels 
under foreign flags, which the Federal German authorities could not 
prosecute because of existing procedural hindrances, these were reported 
to the respective flag state for further prosecution at their end. 
In 1985, 322 nautical reports from voluntary collaborators were 
evaluated. 50 voluntary collaborators sent in reports for the first 
time. 
Several worthy captains, ship's officers, and radio officers were 
rewarded with book prizes. 
On the recommendation of the DHI, the radio officer, Siegfried Meißner, 
from the Federal Railways Ferry "Theodor Heuss" was awarded by the 
Federal Minister of Transport the Seewart Medal in Bronze in recognition 
of his voluntary collaboration of many years' standing at sea and his 
meritorious service to the DHI's fields of activity.