Hebei Spirit found innocent
A SOUTH KOREAN court has cleared the master and first officer of the Hebei Spirit on charges of negligence following an accident involving a barge hitting the tanker.
Seosan court in South Korea however did find the tug captains guilty and sentenced one to three years imprisonment and the other to one year.
Despite allegations by Samsung’s lawyers that the Hebei Spirit was at fault in not getting out of the way, the court disagreed. The barge operator Samsung Heavy Industries was fined won30M ($29M), according to reports.
In a statement today, Bob Bishop, chief executive of V.Ships Shipmanagement, which manages Hebei Spirit, expressed sympathy to those affected by the event and regret for the environmental damage that resulted. He went on: "We are naturally delighted with this [court] decision and happy that our officers will shortly be reunited with their families. I have always stated that the actions of the Master, Chief Officer and crew of the Hebei Spirit are shinning examples of all that is excellent in responsible seafaring; I believe the decision of the Korean Courts supports this view”.
Last December, around 12,000 tonnes of crude oil was spilled following a collision between the oil tanker owned by the Hong Kong-registered Hebei Spirit Shipping and a barge owned by Samsung Heavy Industries in waters off Taean County, South Chungcheong Province, blackening beaches and fish farms along the west coast. The barge carrying a crane separated from its two tugboats and collided with the tanker.