Jessica Oil Spill
Jessica Oil Spill
In April, Market International, the insurers of the tanker Jessica that ran aground in San Cristobal in 2001, agreed to pay the Galapagos National Park $3.375,000 US for the damage caused by the oil spill. Initially the court in Guayaquil awarded damages of $10m US, but the order could not be served as the insurance company is based in London. Galapagos Conservation Trust in London was involved in helping the National Park make the necessary legal representations in London. The National Park will actually get about $2.7m US as the rest is needed for legal and other fees! The funds will be used to help implement a variety of conservation programmes, particularly those related to the Marine Reserve.
The Jessica ran aground in the appropriately named Wreck Bay on 16th January 2001 spilling most of her cargo of 900,000 litres of diesel and fuel oil. The reef that she ran aground on is well known and it was flat calm; carelessness and bad seamanship caused the accident.