Upon allegations of a large oil spill in Darwin Harbour by the Northern Territory Department of Environment and Natural Resources on August 19, 2016, the master and owners of the cargo ship Antung have been charged and will soon face court, reports ABC News
What happened?
The alleged oil spillage happened 2 years ago when the vessel leaked oil into the harbour as it was leaving East Arm Wharf.
DENR director environmental operations Peter Vasel said the legal proceedings followed a complex, two-year investigation into the spillage.
Why were they charged?
“In line with expert evidence no other vessel could have been responsible for the oil spill into Darwin Harbour on this particular day, and this will be laid out further in the Northern Territory Local Court,” Mr Vasel said.
What are the charges?
The master of the ship was charged with four offences:
- Discharging oil into coastal waters resulting in material environmental harm
- Discharging oil into coastal waters
- Failing to notify a discharge of oil whilst in coastal waters
- Failing to make appropriate entry into oil record book as a result of a recordable event
The owners of Antung were charged with the first two and will face court on Monday October 1.
How did it affect the surrounding?
The DENR alleges that mangroves, intertidal mud flats and coastal zones were impacted by the oil spill, which provide habitat for various marine and bird species such as turtles, mud crabs, spawning fish and the critically endangered far eastern curlew.
It also alleged the incident caused alarm amongst the community and users of Darwin Harbour, as the oil impacted a very large area.
Purpose of the proceedings
Mr Vasel said the legal proceedings will send a message to other potential polluters.
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Source: ABC
