A Paris court found French oil giant, Total SA, guilty of maritime pollution on Wednesday for the 1999 sinking of an old, corroded oil tanker, according to The Associated Press. The court fined Total the maximum penalty of $556,000 along with $285 replica Breitling A77350 Ladie's watch million in damages for carelessness resulting in one of the countys worst-ever environmental catastrophes. In December 1999, the tanker, Erika, split in half and sank off the western coast of France, leaking nearly six million gallons of toxic oil into the ocean.
Fishing, tourism, and salt industries were devastated and some 75,000 birds killed. The ruling marked the first time a French court found the chartering replica Breitling Aeromarine Superocean Men's watch company liable for pollution caused in a wreck. In other oil news, Reuters reported that the South Korean town of Taean is struggling to recover from last months spill. A tanker collided with a Samsung Heavy Industries’ crane, dumping three million gallons of oil onto the formerly pristine, tourist-beckoning beaches. South Koreans organized volunteer efforts—over one million strong—to clean up the mess.
Still, much of Taean’s economic livelihood is at a standstill. To make matters worse, the town is mourning the loss of a neighbor who committed suicide after losing his oyster farm to the oil. The towns 70,000 residents are growing increasingly agitated over the slow response from both their government and the companies responsible for the disaster. replica Breitling Windrider Cockpit Lady watch Meanwhile, BBC News reported that scientists in Spain, near the site of the Prestige oil spill of November 2002, suggest that the blood of seabirds can provide significant insight into the long-term effects of oil-related disasters. The study, conducted 17 months after the ship sank, determined that the concentration of toxic compounds in the 61 tested gulls blood was still 120% higher than normal. --Claire Napier Galofaro
