The claim identifies five companies as liable for the damage caused by the spill: Hong Kong-based King Trader Ltd, which owned the stricken vessel; the protection and indemnity insurer Korea P&I, a state-owned South Korean company; miner Bintan Mining Corporation and its subsidiary Bintan Mining (SI) Ltd; and MS Amlin Marine MV, a Dutch provider of charterer’s liability.
In February 2019, MV Solomon Trader ran aground on a coral reef in the east of Rennell Island, spilling more than 300 tonnes of heavy fuel oil, damaging the reef, a nearby lagoon, and contaminating water supplies.
The companies allegedly responsible for the one of the worst environmental disasters in Solomon Islands’ history are being sued over the catastrophic oil spill that caused harm to an ecologically sensitive island.
The customary landowners of Rennell Island directly affected by the spill, along with the government of Solomon Islands, are co-claimants pursuing a group of international companies for environmental and other damages.
William Kadi, from Primo Afeau Legal Services, said the communities of Rennell Island had had their traditional lands and waterways “irreversibly damaged” by the disaster.
