Solomon Islands landowners seek compensation for catastrophic oil spills | Solomon Islands
The companies are allegedly responsible for one of the worst environmental disasters in the history of the Solomon Islands and are being prosecuted for a catastrophic oil spill that has hurt the ecologically sensitive islands.
The claim for the 2019 Rennell disaster was filed last week in Solomon High Court, just days before the restriction regulations expire.
In February 2019, MV Solomon merchants stranded a coral reef on an east side of Rennell Island, spilling out 300 tons of heavy fuel oil, damaging the reef, nearby lagoons and polluted water supply.
The ship kept loading bauxite from nearby mines when a whirlwind rested it on the rocks of Kangawa Bay.
“Our lifestyle changed the day when the boat destroyed our reefs,” said Tony Kagovai, local director of Lughu Ward, one of the cases. One of the complainants.
“For six years, we have not known whether the fish we are eating is safe to eat, or whether there is no poison in our land and waters. Our communities should be justified in everything we suffer.”
The people of Rennell Island have never received any compensation.
East Rennell is a location of environmental and historical value. It was listed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998 and is one of the largest coral atolls in the world. The oil spill occurred outside the World Heritage area but ruined the lives of local communities.
After the leak, Rennell Islanders said that the source of freshwater on the island is untugable. In the nearby Avatai Village, each chicken reportedly died a week after the spill and the child suffered skin and eye infections.
An independent report on the disaster found that the spilled oil polluted the water and damaged the reef three kilometers away from the grounded ship. The report said the site could take up to 130 years to recover.
Afterwards, the Hong Kong owner of the bulk carrier, King Trader Ltd, and the ship's Korean insurance company issued a “sincere apology” for the disaster, but stopped due to the responsibility.
The two companies said that although the liability matters have not been determined, they “expressed profound regret” about the “completely unacceptable” situation.
The customary landowners of Rennell Island, together with the Solomon Islands government, directly influenced the oil spill, seeking a group of international companies to seek environmental and other damages.
The claim determines that five companies are responsible for losses caused by the leak: Hong Kong-based King Trader Ltd, which owns severe vessels; a state-owned Korean company protection and compensation insurance company South Korea P&I; miner Bintan Mining Corporation and its subsidiaries Bintan Mining (SI) Ltd; Ms. Amlin Marine MV, Dutch responsible provider.
South Korea's P&I said no legal action has been taken against Rennell. Ms Amlin said it could not comment on ongoing legal matters. Other companies are either inaccessible or have no responses.
William Kadi from Primo Afeau Legal Services said traditional land and waterways in the Reiner Island community were “irreversibly damaged” by the disaster.
“Today, we help the community recover by seeking the rest of the chaos and responsibility,” he said last week.
Harj Narulla of Doughty Street Chambers, London, is acting for the claimant, saying the island's landowners live daily under the influence of oil spills.
“This situation is one of the worst environmental disasters in Pacific history. Habitual landowners and the Solomon Islands government owed millions of dollars to compensate them for the catastrophic damage suffered by the Lennell oil spill.
“By bringing up (this landmark case), we will ensure that judicial justice is not denied.”