MV Erika
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Erika was the name of an oil tanker which ran on behalf of the French company TotalFinaElf and 1999 caused an oil spill on the coast of Brittany.
The Erika was built in 1975 by the shipyard Kasado Japanese Kudamatsu; The first name of the ship was Shinsei Maru. On December 12, 1999 was the Maltese registered ship of the Italian owner, Giuseppe Savarese from Dunkirk traveling to Livorno. Wind-Force ten and up to 14 foot waves it broke in two, sank off the Breton coast south of the port city of Brest and lost around 17,000 tonnes of its cargo of 30,800 tons of oil tank. Previously located in the hull of the 10 percent overloaded tanker, which would have only a maximum of 28,000 tonnes of oil may invite up to three meters long and 15 centimeters wide cracks formed.
The damage was estimated at 500 million euros; the ecological damage in humans and animals as a result of the oil spill were not included. There were killed 150000-300000 seabirds, including many guillemots.
In the course of the process that began in February 2007, it was announced that the Italian owner of the Erika knew not properly done repair work. The inspectors of the Italian classification society RINA certified ship against his better judgment seaworthiness. The Tribunal Correctionnel of Paris sentenced on 16 January 2008, the company TotalFinaElf, the owner and RINA to penalties and damages totaling approximately 200 million euros. The appeal was dismissed on 30 March 2010, confirmed the sentence was in order. Also a French Court of Cassation rejected the last possible appeal in September 2012. In response, Total has made a day later, to waive the oil exploitation in the ecologically sensitive Arctic and also recommends other oil companies to follow suit.