Liability, awards and settlements

29.11, negligence charges

Russia: transport prosecutors accused the directors of two Black Sea region ports of criminal negligence in connection with a series of shipwrecks earlier this month that resulted in a massive oil spill. Officials could file formal charges by the year’s end against the directors of the ports of Kavkaz and Rostov-on-Don for failing to adequately oversee navigation before the Nov 11 storm, according to transport prosecutor’s office for the southern federal district. The storm battered almost a dozen vessels in the Kerch Strait, sinking some and wrecking others. Six sailors were killed. The port directors should have ordered the vessels to be moved to a safe area, the prosecutor’s office said. More than 3,000 tonnes of oil spilled from product tanker Volgoneft 139 into the strait that connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Azov, and environmental officials said nearly 15,000 birds died as a result. The Russian government estimated that damage from the spill could reach up to US$251mn. Russian officials also suggested that some of the vessels’ masters could also face charges.