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Tanker owner pays for reef wreck
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Posted on Dec 28 1998
The Division of Environmental Quality announced last week the payment of $100,000 by Inter Bulk Shipping Inc., owner of the oil tanker M/T Shogun, which ran aground near Rota’s West Harbor last year.
The payment was part of a settlement agreement reached between the company and DEQ, the Coastal Resources Management Office and the Municipality of Rota and to be used for environmental programs in Rota, Saipan and Tinian.
The Shogun spilled approximately 800 gallons of bunker fuel into Rota’s waters in Nov. 6, 1997, damaging the coral reel near the harbor’s entrance.
According to a preliminary damage assessment report prepared after the incident, a reef measuring 184 x 50 feet in Rota’s industrial harbor was severely damaged.
In addition, DEQ found that contaminants in the bunker oil from the vessel exceeded regulatory levels and the oil is subject to hazardous waste regulations.
As a result, DEQ and CRMO issued civil penalties for the infractions.
IBS agreed to settlement terms last month after considering DEQ’s hazardous waste determinations.
As part of the settlement, IBS will dispose of all the contaminated oil currently being stored in Rota and decontaminate the tanker trucks that are being used for oil storage.
The disposal and decontamination will be done in compliance with appropriate CNMI and federal regulations.
