TLO ON

MARINE ENVIRONMENT

CASE ANALYSIS

(M/T Haven Oil spill, 1991)

Submitted by:
Group 9
Group members:

Submitted to:

4CL Serra, Michael Joseph D.

4CL Famuleras, Jason F.

Date Submitted: _ March, 2015

C/M Magpantay, Julius

I.

Introduction
The following is the case study of Marine Pollution caused by illegal dumping
of waste oil at sea . Marine pollution occurs when harmful, or potentially
harmful, effects result from the entry into the ocean of chemicals, particles,
industrial, agricultural and residential waste, noise, or the spread of invasive
organisms. A German shipping company pleaded guilty in federal court in
Houston to criminal charges that they concealed the illegal dumping of oil at
sea using the infamous magic pipe from U.S. Coast Guard inspectors.
Nimmrich & Prahm Bereederung and Nimmrich & Prahm Reedrei, the
operator and owner of the commercial cargo vessel M/V Susan K, will pay a
$1.2 million dollar criminal penalty, $200,000 of which will go to the National
Marine Sanctuaries Fund as a community service payment.

II.

Body
It was found out that the chief engineer and other crew members on board
the vessel repeatedly discharged oily bilge waste water from the vessel into
the ocean from before Aug. 1, 2011, to March 4, 2012, by using a hose that
bypassed the vessels OWS. The chief engineer then falsified the vessels oil
record book to conceal the dumping from Coast Guard inspectors when the
vessel entered the U.S. ports in Alaska on Jan. 24, 2012, and then in Houston
on March 4, 2012. The reason of illegal dumping is that by using a magic pipe
you compensate the wrong entry done in the oil record book. The other
reason is the leakage in the engine room is more, which is filling up the tanks.
To maintain minimum bilge level without showing oily water separators
running hours, magic pipe is used. This eliminates unwanted questions,

especially from the company. And if the condition of oily water separator is not
maintained properly, or the machinery is malfunctioning. In order to hide this
fact or to cut off the time of repair of the equipment, people on board ship use
magic pipe. The apparent cause of illegal dumping of oil at sea is clearly due
to the improper performance of the duty under the Engine Department.
The illegal dumping of oil at sea will result to the destruction of the marine
ecology and greatly affect the inhabitant of the affected area. The initial
impact from an oil spill can vary from minimal impact to large scale mortality
within a particular biological community. Spilled oil poses serious threats to
fresh water and marine environments, affecting surface resources and a wide
range of subsurface species that are linked in a complex food chain that
includes human food resources. The greatest toxic damage is caused by
spills of lighter oil such as diesel, particularly when confined in a small area.
The various types of freshwater and marine habitats that exist in nature have
different sensitivities to the harmful effects of oil contamination, as well as
different abilities to recover.
The marine pollution caused by the illegal dumping of oil also has an
effect not only on our marine ecology but also to the local economy.
Contamination of coastal incurred cost by clean-up activities, serious
economic losses can be experienced by industries and individuals dependent
on coastal resources. Tourism is also affected for the disruption of
recreational activities such as swimming, boating, angling and diving caused
by oil contaminated shores is usually relatively short-lived. Fisheries and
mariculture resources are seriously damage. Physical contamination can

affect stocks and disrupt business activities by fouling gear or impeding

access to fishing sites.
Heavy industry that relies on seawater for normal operations can be at
high risk, particularly if water intakes are close to the surface. If such plants
are responsible for meeting needs on a national scale, disruptions can be far
reaching. Other types of coastal industry such as shipyards, ports and
harbours can also be disrupted both by oil spills and subsequent clean-up
operations. be used to mitigate impacts.
III.
Recommendation:
To prevent reoccurrence of illegal dumping of waste oil at sea, safer measures
are to be made and procedures accorded to regulations must be followed such
as using an oil-water separator. An oil water separator (OWS) is equipment to
separate oil and water mixtures into their separate components. They are most
commonly found on board ships where they are used to separate oil from oily
waste water such as bilge water before the waste water is discharged into the
environment, using a shore facility to dispose the waste water. The development
of adequate port reception facilities (PRF) for ship-generated waste and cargo
residues, together with the establishment of systems which provide incentives for
ships to use these facilities, are major elements in the process to reduce ships'
discharges into the sea, ensure that oil record books are kept accurate, confirm
always that tanks are not full to prevent overflowing and resorting to such
actions. Every ship of 400 gross tonnes and above, other than an oil tanker, and
every oil tanker of 150 gross tonnes and above, must keep and complete an Oil
Record Book and prohibit use of bypassing materials to dump oil like the use of

magic pipe. Magic pipe is a surreptitious change to a ship's oily water separator,
or other waste-handing equipment, which allows waste liquids to be discharged
in contravention of maritime pollution regulations.
IV.

Personal Insights
If I were the

History[edit]
Amoco Milford Haven was built by Astilleros Espaoles S.A. in Cadiz, Spain,
the sister ship of Amoco Cadiz, which sank in 1978. Launched in 1973, she
worked various routes shipping crude oil from the middle east gulf. In 1987
she was hit by a missile in the Persian Gulf during the Iran-Iraq War.
Extensively refitted in Singapore, she was sold to ship brokers who leased
her to Troodos Shipping, for whom she ran from Iran's Kharg Island to the
Mediterranean.
Accident[edit]
On 11 April 1991, Haven was unloading a cargo of 230,000 tonnes of crude
oil to the Multedo floating platform, seven miles off of the coast of Genoa,
Italy. Having transferred 80,000 tonnes, she disconnected from the platform
for a routine internal transfer operation, to allow oil to be pumped from two
side-holds into a central one.
In later testimony, First Officer Donatos Lilis said: "I heard a very loud noise,
like iron bars beating against each other. Perhaps the cover of a pump had
broken. Then there was an awful explosion." Five crewmen died immediately,
as fire broke out and oil started leaking from the hull as the plates overheated.
As the fire engulfed the ship, flames rose 100m high and, after a series of
further explosions occurred, between 30-40,000 tons of oil poured into the
sea.
The Italian authorities acted quickly, with hundreds of men fighting a fire
which was difficult to access, and distributing more than six miles of inflatable
barriers, submerged a metre below the surface, around the vessel to control

the spillage. On day two, MT Haven was to be towed close to the coast, in a
bid to reduce the coastal area affected and make intervention easier. As the
bow slipped beneath the surface, a steel cable was passed around the rudder
and tugs applied towing pressure. But it was quickly clear that the ship had
broken her back, and the bow section came to rest in 450m of water. On 14
April, the 250m-long main body sank a mile and a half from the coast,
between Arenzano and Varazze.
Shipwreck[edit]
Wreck of MT Haven
After the wreck was declared safe, a mini sub diver found that the stern
section had grazed a rocky spur, though fortunately not hard enough to open
any new holes in the hull, and come to rest at an angle on the flat, sandy
seabed. He reported that most of the remaining 80,000 tons of crude had
burnt or was at the surface. Most of the oil on the surface could be sucked up,
and what remained below was in a solid state. For the next 12 years the
Mediterranean coast of Italy and France was polluted, especially around
Genoa and southern France.
Haven is the largest shipwreck in the sea and lies at a depth of 33 to 83m off
the coast of Genoa. It is a popular tourist attraction with deep sea divers.[2]
Court case[edit]
Background and allegations[edit]
At the centre of the case was the allegation that Lucas and Stelios had kept
their vessel, the Troodos-owned Cyprus-flagged Haven, in such disrepair that
she exploded. According to news items it is also alleged that the tanker was
scrapped after being hit by an Exocet missile during the IranIraq War and

should not have been put back into operation.[3] Prosecutors had asked for
seven-year sentences for manslaughter against both father and son. Christos
Dovles, former director of the shipping firm for whom prosecutors had sought
a sentence of two years and four months.
Charges[edit]
Lucas and Stelios, faced charges of the manslaughter of the six killed,
extortion and intimidating and attempting to bribe witnesses. Both denied the
charges and pleaded not guilty.
Outcome[edit]
Lucas and Stelios were later acquitted after three retrials (of which 2002 was
the last) and much controversy, with subsequent appeals and demands for
compensation also thrown out.[1] Stelios was quoted after the trial: "My main
comment is to ask why it took so long to clear innocent people of these
terrible charges."[4]
Reception[edit]
Italy's Environment Ministry under-secretary said he was "greatly embittered"
by the verdict, saying, "The victims, the relatives and the marine environment
that were all seriously damaged are left without convincing answers."[4]
The Italian president of the World Wildlife Fund, Grazia Francescato, said in a
statement that she was disgusted with Stelios' conduct. She drew similarities
with the Moby Prince disaster, an unrelated collision in which 140 people died
on a ferry just off the nearby city of Livorno, and the acquittal of four men on
charges of manslaughter.[4]
NUMAST, the union that represents merchant officers, described the acquittal
as "depressing", a sentiment also expressed by the International Transport

Workers' Federation. Only by making ship owners accountable for the state of
vessels under their control would substandard ships be eliminated, Andrew
Linington, head of communications at NUMAST said. "Even when ship
owners were clearly linked with a ship that did not meet acceptable standards
it seems no action will be taken," Linington said.[4]