According to local news source insurance payouts on the the clean-up costs, damage and disruption from the Pacific Adventurer fuel oil spill totaled $17 million. The ship’s insurer informed that it might contest some claims that have to be “qualified over a period of time” and could take years to settle.
On March 11 nearly 250 tonnes of oil were spilled into the ocean off Cape Moreton when the ship was holed by falling cargo containers as it battled cyclonic seas. It is said that the oil in the ship washed up on Moreton Island and the Sunshine Coast. State Government officials told that the clean up, which is still going on, is costing about $100,000 a day. No estimates have been released on the cost of the Navy’s search for the sunken containers or the damage to tourism and fishing industries.
Brian Glover, a director of claims for The Standard Club, told that four claims have already been lodged against the ship’s insurance. The Club is a London-based shipping protection and indemnity firm which holds a policy for the Pacific Adventurer’s owners, UK-based Swire Shipping. He said one claim was for a “small amount” and none had been paid.
Glover explained that the policy had a “limitation” fund of about $17 million, which would cover a variety of claim types, including third-party claims. He added claims for a clear case of damage were simple to establish, but claims of economic loss could take longer as they would involve close scrutiny of the ecological impact. The Queensland Seafood Industry Association (QSIA) has engaged a marine barrister and other lawyers to work on a joint claim for commercial fishing operators.
QSIA president Neil Green informed that businesses wanted compensation for loss of income as a result of prime fishing grounds, including the state’s most plentiful king prawn trawling site, being made off-limits during the season’s peak time.
