Spain's Massive Oil Spill on Trial:
Ten years ago the oil tanker Prestige — which was registered in the Bahamas, insured in the UK, part of a Swiss fleet, and had a Greek captain — broke up off the coast of Spain spilling 50,000 tonnes of oil into the Atlantic.
Today, the ship's captain, Apostolos Mangouras, will finally stand trial along with two other crew members and a Spanish official. It took lawyers nearly eight years to investigate the disaster and another two to get the case its day in court. Mangouras may face a 12-year sentence.
The other defendants are Jose Luis Lopez-Sors, who was then head of the Spanish merchant navy; the tanker's Greek chief engineer, Nikolaos Argyropoulos; and Filipino first mate Irineo Maloto, who is not in Spanish custody.
The oil contaminated miles of Spain's northern coastline, and fishermen and local authorities from the region are demanding around 2.2 billion euros ($2.9bn) in damages.
