The company responsible for one of the worst environmental disasters in the history of the Solomon Islands is being sued for a catastrophic oil spill that harms ecologically sensitive islands.
The claim for the 2019 Renell Island disaster was filed last week in Solomons High Court just days before the restrictions law expired.
In February 2019, MV Solomon Traders stranded on a coral reef east of Renell Island, spilling over 300 tons of heavy fuel oil, damaging the reef, nearby lagoons, and contaminated water supplies.
When the cyclone stranded it on a coral reef in Kangava Bay, the ship was loading bauxite from a nearby mine.
“Our way of life has changed on the day the ships destroyed on our reefs,” said Tony Kagovai, the local chief of Lug Ward in Kangava Bay and one of the petitioners in the case. I said that.
“For six years, we didn't know if the fish we were eating would be safe or if the land or water weren't poisonous. Our community is for everything we suffer from. It deserves justice.”
The people of Rennell Island have not been compensated.
The East Renell is a place of environmental and historical value. It was listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1998 and is one of the largest coral atolls in the world. The oil spills occurred just outside of the world's heritage areas, but destroyed the lives of the local community.
After the runoff, the Renell Islands said they needed a freshwater source for the island. In the nearby Abatai village, all chicken died a week after the spill, and it was reported that the child had contracted skin and eye infections.
an Independent reporting on disasters Spilled oil-contaminated water was discovered and the reef was damaged up to 3 kilometres from the ground container. The site could take up to 130 years to recover, the report said.
In the aftermath, Bulk Carrier Hong Kong owner King Trader Limited and the ship's Korean insurance company issued a “good apology” for the disaster, but stopped accepting responsibility.
The company said it had “expressed deep regret” in a situation that “completely unacceptable” while the issue of liability has not yet been decided.
The customary landowners of Renell Island, affected by the spill, are joint litigators, along with the government of Solomon Islands, who are pursuing a group of international corporations for environmental and other damages.
The claim identifies five companies liability for damages caused by the spill. Hong Kong-based King Trader Limited owns the ship that was attacked. State-owned enterprise protection and compensation insurance company Korea P&I. Miner Bintan Mining Corporation and its subsidiary Bintan Mining (SI) Ltd; Amlin Marine MV, Dutch language provider responsible for charters;
South Korea P&I said no legal action related to Rennell has yet to be provided. Amlin said he could not comment on the ongoing legal issues. Other companies either were not taken away from the concept or did not respond.
William Kadi of Primo Afeau Legal Services said the Rennell Island community had “irreversibly damaged” traditional lands and waterways due to the disaster.
“Today, we are beginning a process that helps our community heal by seeking justice and accountability for the chaos left behind,” he said last week.
Hal Narra of Doutty Street Chambers, London, who is acting for the claimant, said the island's landowners were alive every day due to the effects of the oil spill.
“This case is one of the worst environmental disasters in Pacific history. Conventional landowners and the Solomon Islands government are owing millions of dollars in compensation for the devastating harm that is suffering from the oil spill on Rennell Island. It's there.
“By submitting [this] Landmark Case We assure you that justice is delayed is not a denial of justice. ”
