Ok, own up kehleuns

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German ship may face $1m oil fine

20dec05


A MELBOURNE magistrate has been asked to consider fining a German shipping company almost $1 million for an oil spill at Phillip Island, in what would be the state's biggest environmental fine.

Reederi Suderelbe GMBH & Co Schiffahrts KG (RSS), as the owner of the ship ANL Pioneer, has pleaded guilty to three charges relating to the incident in February 2003.

The ship's master Erhard Heinz Schuschan, 60, of Germany, has pleaded guilty to one charge of being master of the ship when a discharge of oil or oily mixture occurred in Bass Strait.

The two defendants, who are not present in court, have agreed to a statement of fact that was read to magistrate Frank Jones by Environment Protection Authority prosecutor Paul Willee, QC.

Mr Willee told the court the defendants had been knowingly sailing the ship with leaking oil tanks and structural problems in Australian waters.

Around February 27, 2003 the ship left Melbourne for Sydney, and the discharge was first noticed at Cape Woolamai on Phillip Island.

The court heard the discharge affected about 12km of coastline covering 24 little penguins and killing three.

The cleanup cost close to $600,000.

The oil also affected a cormorant, nine silver gulls and five endangered hooded plovers

Now which one of you was refueling??? :P