Greek Shipowner Ordered To Pay $17.38 Million In Compensation For Oil Spill In Sri Lanka

A Greek cargo ship is in trouble after it caused an oil spill in Sri Lankan waters last year. The vessel in question, the New Diamond, was on its way to India from Kuwait. The ship had 270,000 tonnes of crude oil onboard when it caught fire while transiting along the east coast of Sri Lanka. The incident happened in September last year.

While the cargo wasn’t affected by the fire but the tanker fueled leaked out causing an oil spill in the area. The ship was up in flames as the engine room boiler exploded.

The explosion took the life of a crew member but the rest of the crew including the ship’s captain could escape the situation uninjured. The fire was put off by joint efforts by the firefighters of the Indian coast guard and Sri Lankan navy. The ship was then towed to UAE after that.

Image Credits: Indian Coast Guard

Sri Lanka claimed $17.38 million and lodged a complaint against with the Greek firm Porto Emporios Shipping Inc which owned the vessel

According to a statement issued by the office of Sri Lanka’s state prosecutor, “the Attorney-General forwarded the marine pollution claim for 3,423 million rupees ($17.38 million) to lawyers of the owners of MT New Diamond in respect of the oil spill caused in September”.

Sri Lankan officials say that around 400-800 tonnes of fuel have leaked from the ship. Now, Sri Lanka is asking for compensation from the Greek shop owner of the ship. Earlier in October, the ship’s captain was fined US$65,000 for not informing the authorities in time.

Reference: greekcitytimes.com

Source: Maritime Shipping News