RI to seek an out of court settlement over oil pollution
Monday, April 24 2000 - 03:30 AM WIB
Indonesia should seek an out of court settlement in relation with its demand for compensation over oil pollution in the waters of Cilacap, Central Java, according to Suharyanto of the directorate of shipping and sea at the Ministry of Communications.
Suharyanto was quoted by Kompas as saying that based on past experiences, Indonesia had always lost court room battle with giant oil tankers.
He said that an out of court settlement was more appropriate because the country had signed the Protocol of 1992 to Amend the International Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage 1969.
Suharyanto said that under the ruling, the ship owner was liable to pay a maximum 900 million Gold Franc for oil pollution damage.
Suharyanto was responding to plans by the government to demand compensation from the owner of the MT King Fisher oil tanker, which colluded with a rock on the waters of Cilacap throwing all of its 640,000 liter oil into the waters causing massive pollution. The accident occurred early this month. (*)