PROSECUTORS INDICT SHIPOWNERS OVER OIL SPILL

South Korean prosecutors have indicted locally based Samsung Heavy Industries and Heibei Ocean Shipping on charges of violating South Korea’s maritime pollution prevention law. The legal action relates to a marine collision that culminated in one of the worst oil spills in South Korea’s history. More than 12,000 tons of crude leaked into the West Sea in early December when a Samsung barge struck oil tanker Heibei Spirit. Fish farms and natural parks were seriously impacted by the spill, which damaged the country’s fishing and tourism sectors. The prosecution said that it was too soon to decide which side should bear responsibility for the event. The oil supertanker was insured by Norwegian marine insurer Skuld. Bloomberg reported that it could be paying up to 12bn won ($12.58m) in clean-up costs. Skuld is still trying to get the tanker released by South Korean authorities, but the Korea Marine Pollution Response Corporation obtained a court order holding the tanker in lieu of a clean-up payment from Skuld.