A court ruled today that French oil giant Total SA was responsible for the 1999 sinking of the oil tanker Erika, and ordered it to pay damages for one of France's worst environmental disasters.
Total, the world's fourth largest oil group which chartered the Erika, was fined €375,000 and told to pay a share of nearly €200 million in damages awarded to civil parties, including the French state.
Rina, the Italian maritime certification company which declared the Maltese-registered vessel seaworthy, and the ship's owner and manager were also found guilty.
The ruling also opened the way for Total to be sued by local bodies, including regional authorities, and ecological organisations for the environmental impact of the spill.
The Erika, a rusting tanker chartered by Total, broke in two and sank in heavy seas in the Bay of Biscay some 70 km off the French coast on December 12th, 1999, pouring some 20,000 tonnes of toxic fuel oil into the sea.
The accident fouled 400 km of beaches and shoreline, crippled local industries including fishing, tourism and salt production and killed tens of thousands of seabirds.
Total and 14 other parties went on trial in February for their alleged role in the disaster and the judge read out the lengthy ruling to the court today.
All the defendants denied any wrongdoing.
Total was accused of marine pollution, deliberately failing to take measures to prevent the pollution and complicity in endangering human lives.
Plaintiffs accused Total of negligence in investigating the condition of the ship and of not acting quickly enough when the accident happened.