The shipowners and insurers of the containerships Beijing and MSC Danit agreed to fork out $45m in damages yesterday over a 2021 oil spill off Huntington Beach in California.
The ships allegedly dragged anchor over a pipeline owned by Amplify Energy. The pipeline operator had previously agreed to pay $50m in damages for the 3,000 barrel oil spill. The pipeline connects the Elly drilling platform off the coast to Long Beach Harbor.
The combined $95m in damages is expected to be split between local homeowners, the fishing community as well as the tourist sector.
“Nobody deserves this more than the citizens of Orange County and the coastal community to have this matter resolved quickly,” said co-lead counsel for the plaintiffs Wylie Aitken, co-lead counsel for the plaintiffs on Thursday.“It is certainly a result the Orange County coastal community and our Orange County community overall can be proud of, and it sends a clear message to large corporations operating off the coast of California that they will be held responsible for their negligence.”
