Tag: Prestige

Following the trial of Apostolos Mangouras, former Capt of the Prestige which sunk off the coast of Galicia in 2002, INTERTANKO is celebrating his acquittal from charges of criminal damage to the environment, but has expressed disappointment at his criminal conviction for disobedience.

Spain court is impossible to establish criminal responsibility for the accused crew of Prestige On November 13, 2002, while the Greek-operated oil tanker Prestige was carrying a 77,000 metric tons cargo of two different grades of heavy fuel oil, one of its twelve tanks burst during a storm offGalicia, in northwestern Spain.Fearing that the ship would sink, the captain called for help from Spanish rescue workers, with the expectation that the vessel would be brought into harbour.However, pressure from local authorities forced the captain to steer the embattled ship away from the coast and head northwest.At around 8:00 AM on November 19, the ship split in half. It sank the same afternoon, releasing over 20 million US gallons (76,000m3) of oil into the sea.After the sinking, the wreck continued leaking oil. It leaked approximately 125tons of oil a day, polluting the sea bed and contaminating the coastline, especially along the territory of Galicia.In November 2013, court concluded it was impossible to establish criminal responsibility and Captain, Chief Engineer and the former head of Spain's Merchant Navy were found not guilty of crimes against the environment.Found out more about recent developments regarding judges' decision on Prestige oil spill by clicking at ...

Captain of tanker Prestige blaims Spain for tragedy

Prestige Trial continues on 13th November

Prestige oil spill disaster trial begins

Prestige oil spill trial has started in Spain

Today tankers are not a priority at IMO The evolution of the tanker shipping safety regime is currently in the midst of a quiet patch. In contrast to the 1990s and early 2000s, when oil pollution incidents like Exxon Valdez, Braer, Erika and Prestige had the various parties responsible for tanker shipping falling over themselves to get their house in order and tighten up the provisions governing tanker design, construction, operation and maintenance, today tankers are not a priority at IMO.They are not a priority for two reasons. First, the trying and complex issues of piracy and curbing ship emissions of harmful atmospheric pollutants are currently monopolising session time at the organisation. Second, and most importantly, the tanker industry managed to get its house in order as a result of those earlier incidents to the extent that the volume of oil entering the sea due to tanker accidents is now at historic lows.The key to achieving the startling improvements in the tanker safety record over the past decade has been the attitude of tanker operators and charterers. While these two principals appreciated that a new raft of regulations was coming as a result of the now-infamous accidents, they also knew ...