The Prestige oil tanker sank off the Galician coast, Spain, carrying 77,000 tonness of fuel oil in 2002. The spill polluted thousands of kilometers of coastline and more than one thousand beaches on the Spanish, French and Portuguese coast, causing one of the biggest environmental disaster in Europe’s history.
The Prestige was Greek-operated, officially registered in the Bahamas, but with a Liberian-registered corporation listed as its owner. It was insured in Britain, and was registered as part of a Swiss fleet that has its headquarters in London, while the captain was Greek.
Captions. Photo source: ©© Stéphane M. Grueso
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More than half of ships involved in the 100 largest oil spills of the past three decades were registered in states that consistently fail to comply with international safety and environmental standards, researchers have determined…
