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Haven inquiry blames ship's master and owner
Volume24/Number 12/December1992 vessel over 400 gt will be expected to have an oil emergency plan certificate of approval. A further amendment to the CSA will allow claims to be made to the International Oil Pollution Claims Fund.
Malacca Strait Oil Spill Huge claims for compensation may be sought by affected parties after the collision between the oil tanker Nagasaki Spirit and container ship Ocean Blessing in the Strait of Malacca in September (see Mar. Pollut. Bull. 21,528). North Sumatran fishermen have already stated their intention to seek compensation of $2.4 billion from the owners of Nagasaki Spirit. Indonesia intends to file a claim of up to S60m under two shipping conventions; the Convention of Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage (CLC) and Convention on the Establishment of an International Fund for Compensation for Oil Pollution Damage (FUND). Since it has not ratified the CLC or FUND, Malaysia, who also intend lodging claims of up to $60 billion, is claiming under the Tanker Owners Voluntary Agreement Concerning Liability for Oil Pollution (TOVALOP) and the Contract Regarding an Interim Supplement to Tanker Liability for Oil Pollution (CRISTAL), both voluntary agreements governing the shipping industry. The claims follow the pollution by oil from the Nagasaki Spirit of several shores in the area. About 13 000 tonnes of oil is reported to have spilled from the tank threatening to impact one of Malaysia's premier holiday resorts at Teluk Ewa and the island of Langkawi. The slick, at one time covering an area of 16 square miles, also polluted about 65 miles of coastline along the eastern part of the Sumatran coast. The coast of Thailand was also threatened in the area of the Tarutao National Park (Dong Island) and a wildlife sanctuary in the Andaman Sea. There are reports that much of the spilled oil has evaporated in the hot weather conditions. Oil surveillance teams continue to keep watch. The Malaysian Meteorological Services Department has mobilized some 1 km of booms to prevent oil from reaching sensitive beaches. Meanwhile, amid some controversy, the Nagasaki Spirit has been towed clear of the Malaysian coast, back to the original site of the collision. Ocean Blessing was beached on the Indonesian bay of Kuala Longsa, off Medan.
Haven Inquiry Blames Ship's
Master and Owner A Genoa inquiry has found the master and owners responsible for the explosion which sank the VLCC Haven in April 1991 causing widespread oil pollution (see Mar. Pollut. Bull. 22,260-261; 318). It is believed that overpressure on the forward tank, which led to the
collapse of a bulkhead into an empty ballast tank, was the cause of the massive explosion which sank the ship and in which five seamen were killed, including the Master and Chief Officer. The accident resulted in an oil spill of 10 000 tonnes which impacted Italian and French coastlines. The overpressure is believed to have resulted from transferring cargo from No 3 port and starboard tanks to No 1 centre. The inquiry criticizes the crew for transferring the cargo whilst the ship was in Genoa Roads, which is prohibited by a Genoa Port Regulation. Both the Master and Chief Officer are blamed for transferring cargo contrary to the port regulations, while the Chief Engineer is blamed for permitting the use of a cargo pump which has a reported faulty bearing. The ship's owner, Troodos, was also judged to be at fault for not taking care of the efficiency of essential equipment before the ship was put into service after an extensive survey.
Organochlorine Threat to Wildlife and Humans Radical changes in sexual characteristics, physical deformities and reproductive failure in wildlife, and contamination of mother's milk in humans, are linked to increasing levels of organochlorines in the environment, according to a new Greenpeace report. New research contained in the report shows levels of organochlorines in the tissue of polar bears in Norway to be six times higher than those in Alaska. The bears ingest organochlorines through eating fish and seals. Norwegian scientists believe pregnancy rates in European polar bears have dropped significantly this year. The report, Death in Small Doses, the first global review of the health and environmental effects of organochlorines was released just before the adoption of a new Convention to protect the environment in the North East Atlantic. Documented crashes in aquatic wildlife populations, such as species of dolphins, seals and birds, clearly show that levels of these toxic compounds in natural systems have reached crisis point, says the report. High organochlorine levels have been documented in seals in the Tees, Wash, Liverpool Bay and the Dee Estuary. Greenpeace is demanding the elimination of discharges of organochlorines and other toxic pollutants into our seas and rivers. Organochlorines are a group of thousands of chemicals, used widely as pesticides, solvents and in PVC production. Among the most notorious are PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) known to damage the reproductive system of seals. The report details how, in mammals and birds, organochlorines: • can cause the development of female characteristics in male organisms by interfering with hormones; • can reduce the ability of females to conceive and induce miscarriages; 579
Malacca Strait Oil Spill Huge claims for compensation may be sought by affected parties after the collision between the oil tanker Nagasaki Spirit and container ship Ocean Blessing in the Strait of Malacca in September (see Mar. Pollut. Bull. 21,528). North Sumatran fishermen have already stated their intention to seek compensation of $2.4 billion from the owners of Nagasaki Spirit. Indonesia intends to file a claim of up to S60m under two shipping conventions; the Convention of Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage (CLC) and Convention on the Establishment of an International Fund for Compensation for Oil Pollution Damage (FUND). Since it has not ratified the CLC or FUND, Malaysia, who also intend lodging claims of up to $60 billion, is claiming under the Tanker Owners Voluntary Agreement Concerning Liability for Oil Pollution (TOVALOP) and the Contract Regarding an Interim Supplement to Tanker Liability for Oil Pollution (CRISTAL), both voluntary agreements governing the shipping industry. The claims follow the pollution by oil from the Nagasaki Spirit of several shores in the area. About 13 000 tonnes of oil is reported to have spilled from the tank threatening to impact one of Malaysia's premier holiday resorts at Teluk Ewa and the island of Langkawi. The slick, at one time covering an area of 16 square miles, also polluted about 65 miles of coastline along the eastern part of the Sumatran coast. The coast of Thailand was also threatened in the area of the Tarutao National Park (Dong Island) and a wildlife sanctuary in the Andaman Sea. There are reports that much of the spilled oil has evaporated in the hot weather conditions. Oil surveillance teams continue to keep watch. The Malaysian Meteorological Services Department has mobilized some 1 km of booms to prevent oil from reaching sensitive beaches. Meanwhile, amid some controversy, the Nagasaki Spirit has been towed clear of the Malaysian coast, back to the original site of the collision. Ocean Blessing was beached on the Indonesian bay of Kuala Longsa, off Medan.
Haven Inquiry Blames Ship's
Master and Owner A Genoa inquiry has found the master and owners responsible for the explosion which sank the VLCC Haven in April 1991 causing widespread oil pollution (see Mar. Pollut. Bull. 22,260-261; 318). It is believed that overpressure on the forward tank, which led to the
collapse of a bulkhead into an empty ballast tank, was the cause of the massive explosion which sank the ship and in which five seamen were killed, including the Master and Chief Officer. The accident resulted in an oil spill of 10 000 tonnes which impacted Italian and French coastlines. The overpressure is believed to have resulted from transferring cargo from No 3 port and starboard tanks to No 1 centre. The inquiry criticizes the crew for transferring the cargo whilst the ship was in Genoa Roads, which is prohibited by a Genoa Port Regulation. Both the Master and Chief Officer are blamed for transferring cargo contrary to the port regulations, while the Chief Engineer is blamed for permitting the use of a cargo pump which has a reported faulty bearing. The ship's owner, Troodos, was also judged to be at fault for not taking care of the efficiency of essential equipment before the ship was put into service after an extensive survey.
Organochlorine Threat to Wildlife and Humans Radical changes in sexual characteristics, physical deformities and reproductive failure in wildlife, and contamination of mother's milk in humans, are linked to increasing levels of organochlorines in the environment, according to a new Greenpeace report. New research contained in the report shows levels of organochlorines in the tissue of polar bears in Norway to be six times higher than those in Alaska. The bears ingest organochlorines through eating fish and seals. Norwegian scientists believe pregnancy rates in European polar bears have dropped significantly this year. The report, Death in Small Doses, the first global review of the health and environmental effects of organochlorines was released just before the adoption of a new Convention to protect the environment in the North East Atlantic. Documented crashes in aquatic wildlife populations, such as species of dolphins, seals and birds, clearly show that levels of these toxic compounds in natural systems have reached crisis point, says the report. High organochlorine levels have been documented in seals in the Tees, Wash, Liverpool Bay and the Dee Estuary. Greenpeace is demanding the elimination of discharges of organochlorines and other toxic pollutants into our seas and rivers. Organochlorines are a group of thousands of chemicals, used widely as pesticides, solvents and in PVC production. Among the most notorious are PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) known to damage the reproductive system of seals. The report details how, in mammals and birds, organochlorines: • can cause the development of female characteristics in male organisms by interfering with hormones; • can reduce the ability of females to conceive and induce miscarriages; 579