SPAIN: Spain should not be blamed solely for the mishandling of the Prestige tanker incident, according to several maritime lawyers.
The incident exposed gaps in the EU's handing of such disasters, due to a combination of political intransigence and economic self-interest, Mr Vincent Power and Ms Denise Casey told a maritime law conference in Dublin yesterday.
Ironically, Spain was one of only three EU member-states which had made any progress in preparing for such maritime accidents, along with Denmark and Germany - in spite of promises given by EU leaders at several summits, the conference heard.
Built in Japan, owned by Greek interests, registered in the Bahamas and classified in the US, the 26-year-old single-hull tanker, Prestige, caused widespread pollution of the north-west Spanish coast when it developed a large crack in its hull in a storm off Galicia last November.
The incident highlights the vulnerability of EU waters, given that 90 per cent of EU oil supplies are carried by sea, Mr Power and Ms Casey of A&L Goodbody solicitors told the conference, which was hosted by the Irish Maritime Law Association.