New Zealand oil spill ship owners charged
11th April 2012
Liberian-based Daina Shipping, a branch of the Greek company Costamare, faces big fines over `Rena` disaster.
New Zealand authorities have filed charges against the owners of a cargo ship that ran aground on a reef six months ago, creating what authorities describe as the country's worst maritime environmental disaster.
On Thurs 5th April Maritime New Zealand fomerly charged Daina Shipping with the discharge of harmful substances from the `Rena`. The charge carries a maximum fine of NZ$600,000 (£300,000) plus another NZ$10,000 for each day the offending continues. The 47,230-tonne `Rena` hit Astrolabe reef near Tauranga - New Zealand's main export port - on 5th October 2011 spilling 400 tonnes of fuel oil.