Spanish court confirms 1.5 bn euro Prestige spill compensation by Staff Writers Madrid (AFP) Dec 20, 2018 Spain's Supreme Court on Thursday handed down a definitive ruling that the Spanish state be paid over 1.5 billion euros ($1.9 billion) in damages over the 2002 Prestige oil spill, one of Europe's worst environmental disasters. It confirmed an earlier ruling handed down in November 2017 by a lower court in the northwestern city of La Coruna, in Galicia off whose coast the Prestige tanker broke in two. Neighbouring France, which was also affected, was awarded 61 million euros. The Bahama-flagged Liberian tanker went down after sailing for six days damaged and adrift, spilling 63,000 tonnes of oil into the sea and coating 2,980 kilometres (1,852 miles) of shoreline in Spain, France and Portugal with black sludge. The spill caused huge damage to wildlife and the environment, as well as to the region's fishing industry, leading to an international cleanup effort. The court said the final ruling on civil liability "fixes compensation at above 1.5 billion euros" to be paid by the vessel's insurance company and its skipper. The vast majority of the compensation will go to the Spanish state. The remainder will be split between the Galician authorities and local authorities, including in French areas. Firms, particularly in the fishing industry, which was badly hit, will also receive a small cut. The ruling ends a legal marathon after Spain's worst ecological disaster. More than 300,000 volunteers from across Europe descended on the region to help with the clean-up. Spain's Supreme Court in 2016 found the Prestige's Greek captain, Apostolos Mangouras, and its British insurer, The London P&I Club, as well as its owner Mare Shipping Inc, liable for the disaster. It also sentenced Mangouras, who was 67 when the Prestige went down, to two years in jail. The court said at the time that two major energy companies -- Spain's Repsol and Britain's BP -- had advised against using the Prestige tanker, a 26-year-old vessel with a carrying capacity of 81,000 tonnes. It also cited in its ruling notes from the Prestige's former captain, Stratos Kostazos, who had complained that the tanker was in bad shape and had refused to sail in it. Mangouras blamed the spill on the Spanish authorities which ordered the ship out to sea after it sent out a distress call due to a crack in its hull. The total cost of the damage had been estimated by Spanish courts in 2012 at 4.1 billion euros, of which 3.8 billion should be given to the Spanish state. The French government in 2013 estimated the cost of the spill for French victims stood at 109 million euros.
AAA sees fuel price declines through end of year Washington (UPI) Dec 17, 2018 Fuel prices fell another five cents last week, to $2.37 per gallon, and the price drops that have been going on for about 10 weeks straight may continue at least to the end of the year. "With gasoline production on the high side - 10 million barrels per day - amid low demand, motorists can expect gas prices to continue declining through year-end," AAA said in a Monday report, adding the decline for the month is 26 cents per gallon. A separate report from Gas Buddy, which also tracks fu ... read more
|
|
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us. |