On November 13th the master of the ill-fated tanker Prestige is scheduled to give evidence at a criminal trial in A Coruña.
On that day it will be exactly 10 years since his ship ran into trouble in heavy seas 70 miles off this coastal city in northwest Spain.
Prestige broke in two and sank, spilling thousands of tonnes of fuel oil and causing one of the worst environmental disasters in Spanish history.
The impact of the casualty spurred wide-ranging changes in international maritime regulation, prompting industry-wide soul searching on issues such as the criminalisation of seafarers and the need for places of refuge.
Now the 77-year-old Greek master stands accused of disobedience and causing environmental damage. Prosecutors are seeking a 12-year prison sentence and hefty financial damages.
Beside him in the dock are the ship’s chief engineer, who faces similar accusations to the master, and the former director-general of Spain’s Merchant Marine Directorate.
A fourth man is also charged in connection to the spill, but his whereabouts are unknown and he is not expected at the trial.
Other parties are named in the case as subsidiary civil defendants, including the vessel’s P&I club, the London Club, shipowner Mare Shipping, manager Universe Maritime and the Spanish government.
In the coming months, 70 lawyers will pick over 230,315 documents and 25 boxes of exhibits as they work through the case.
A preliminary procedural session earlier this month removed any doubt that this would be a heavily contested trial.
Source: Maritime Connector
