Argentine court orders Shell to clean up spill - mayor
Date: 25-Nov-02
Country: ARGENTINA
The court ruled on Thursday that Shell had not properly cleaned up the area after a boat belonging to the company collided with a German vessel, spilling about 5,300 cubic meters (33,000 barrels) of crude into the River Plate estuary, said Juan Sibetti, the mayor of Magdalena, a city close to the affected coastline.
Shell officials in Buenos Aires were not immediately available for comment.
Court officials were also not immediately available.
Shell worked for over a month to remove oil residue covering 18 miles (30 km) of coastline but that was insufficient, the mayor said.
"When (Shell) left, their scientists said they had cleared the area of oil. But we don't think so, and that's why we filed suit saying Shell hadn't done what was needed," he added.
"The whole area's been damaged, plants and animals, and there are parts where there is still oil," Sibetti said. He said the city had estimated a proper cleanup would require about 35 million Argentine pesos, or about $10 million.
The accident has provoked a range of legal action, including a lawsuit by Magdalena for damage to the city's economy and a separate case filed by 500 city residents. Shell has also filed charges against the owner of the German boat. None of those cases has yet been resolved. ($1 = 3.56 pesos in Friday trade).
