A Spanish court has ordered a British P&I insurer to pay a whopping $1 billion fine over the 2002 Prestige oil spill. The single-hulled oil tanker Prestige broke in half and sank off the northwestern coast of Spain after being denied a port of refuge after a tank was damaged in a storm. The wreck is estimated to have spilled some 63,000 tonnes of oil, fouling … [Read more...]
Any Port in a Storm?
By Captain George Livingstone One of the great ‘maritime’ authors of the 20th century is Jan de Hartog, born in Holland, his seagoing career spanned the glory years of Dutch ocean towing. Thankfully for those of us who love a good sea story, he turned to writing. One of my favorite quotes from him - “The call of the sea ceases only when it is finally … [Read more...]
ITF: Spain ‘Deflects Blame’ with Decision to Sentence Prestige Tanker Captain
The International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) has issued a strongly worded statement against Spain's decision to sentence the former captain of the Prestige oil tanker to prison over the 2002 oil spill. As gCaptain reported earlier this week, Spain's Supreme Court on Tuesday sentenced former captain Apostolos Mangouras to two years in prison over the disaster, … [Read more...]
Captain of Sunken Prestige Oil Tanker Sentenced to Prison Over 2002 Wreck
MADRID, Jan 26 (Reuters) - Spain's Supreme Court sentenced the captain of the Prestige oil tanker, which sank off Spain's northwestern coast in 2002, covering thousands of kilometres of coastline in fuel oil, to two years in prison on Tuesday. The captain, Apostolos Mangouras, was convicted of recklessness resulting in catastrophic environmental damage, according to a … [Read more...]
Spain to Appeal Prestige Oil Spill Ruling
The Spanish government on Monday announced its plans to appeal part of a recent court ruling that cleared all three defendants, including the Captain and Chief Engineer, of charges and liability in connection to the 2002 Prestige oil tanker sinking and oil spill. As gCaptain reported, Spain’s high court last week acquitted Captain Apostolos Mangouras, Chief Engineer … [Read more...]