On 13 November 2002, an oil tanker left Latvia and suffered an accident 61 kilometres from Cape Finisterre (Galicia). A crack appeared in the hull and fuel began to leak. The ship was carrying 75,000 tonnes of crude oil and was at the mercy of a storm. Rescue rescued the entire crew, except for the captain and two technicians.
On November 14, the tugs take the ship to 3 miles. It continues to spam database lose fuel. On Friday, the crack becomes larger. The ship is towed as far away from the coast as possible; the crack is 35 meters wide.
Three days after the accident, the oil spill reached the Galician beaches. On November 18, it was towed further inland and finally, on the morning of November 19, the ship broke in two and sank 250 km off the coast of Galicia.
Environmental impact
All marine life and dozens of species have been affected. It is estimated that their regeneration will not begin until 3-4 years from now and that the effects of the oil spill will persist for 15-20 years.
Those jobs that depend on the sea. Tourism in Galicia has also been affected.
Judicial tour
The Prestige was a ship dedicated to the transport of petroleum derivatives. It was registered in the Bahamas, had a British insurance company and was certified by an American company (ABS). In 1999 it was sanctioned twice for safety violations. Since that year it had not undergone any inspection, despite the fact that European regulations require an annual inspection for this type of maritime transport, which is classified as a risk.
In 2001, the ship had to undergo repairs because it had a series of cracks.
The judicial process has been very long; 10 years have passed since the Prestige disaster until the trial was held.
Criminal proceedings
The accused are : the captain, the chief engineer, a colleague and the former director general of the Merchant Navy.
The plaintiffs numbered up to 42: the Public Prosecutor's Office, the Spanish State, the Xunta de Galicia, the Arco IRIS Environmental Association, the Never Again Platform, several city councils and the Provincial Council of A Coruña, the French State, several French municipalities and city councils, fishermen's guilds, and a multitude of companies directly or indirectly dedicated to the sea.