An oil company has finally been made to pay for the clean-up of an oil spill that happened back in 2004. The Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. has ruled that US-based petroleum corporation Citgo must reimburse the American government, which initially paid for the clean-up alongside Frescati Shipping Company after the tanker Athos hit a submerged anchor in the Delaware river, spilling 200,000 gallons of oil.
Following more than a decade of legal tussle, the US government and Frescati won their case for recouping the funds after convincing the court that Citgo was responsible due to it controlling the destination port in New Jersey and having chartered the tanker. Frescati Shipping Company owned Athos, but the new ruling is notable for making the oil company itself, Citgo, responsible for the pollution caused by its product, despite it not being directly responsible for the accident that caused the spill.
Citgo must now pay the US government and Frescati more than $100m after failing to prove that the ship’s captains and their company were liable for the spillage. Citgo’s president and CEO Carlos Jordá said: “While we obviously have different views regarding the merits of our case, we respect the court’s interpretation and can finally close this chapter on the Athos case.”
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An oil company has finally been made to pay for the clean-up of an oil spill that happened back in 2004. The Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. has ruled that US-based petroleum corporation Citgo must reimburse the American government, which initially paid for the clean-up alongside Frescati Shipping Company after the tanker Athos hit a submerged anchor in the Delaware river, spilling 200,000 gallons of oil.
Following more than a decade of legal tussle, the US government and Frescati won their case for recouping the funds after convincing the court that Citgo was responsible due to it controlling the destination port in New Jersey and having chartered the tanker. Frescati Shipping Company owned Athos, but the new ruling is notable for making the oil company itself, Citgo, responsible for the pollution caused by its product, despite it not being directly responsible for the accident that caused the spill.
Citgo must now pay the US government and Frescati more than $100m after failing to prove that the ship’s captains and their company were liable for the spillage. Citgo’s president and CEO Carlos Jordá said: “While we obviously have different views regarding the merits of our case, we respect the court’s interpretation and can finally close this chapter on the Athos case.”