Approximately
20,000 tons of oil have so far leaked from the
Prestige oil tanker that
sunk off the coast of Spain in November 2002.
This oil has already
devastated fishing grounds + beaches in north-west Spain, but is now also being driven across the Bay of Biscay to
France...
France's
President Chirac has today said that France + Europe would not allow "
corrupt businessmen" to continue
exploiting the weaknesses of the current system of checking oil tankers and that oil disasters "
are not inevitable, they are the result of human actions that go unchecked."
Mr Chirac also said "Captains, owners, charterers of floating dustbins, classification companies, insurers of such ships, companies managing flags of convenience must be
prosecuted and must be
punished by the courts
in an exemplary manner."
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