Damage to rammed oil terminal in Maasvlakte not as bad as anticipated
The damage to the jetty of the Maasvlakte Oil Terminal is less severe than first thought. The owners of the MOT will not have to cough up 150 million, but between € 13 and 17 million.
The millions are needed to rebuild the jetty and clear up the oil spill.
The damage occurred in January when the container ship CMA CGM Claudel broke adrift in the storm and rammed the MOT jetty.
”On the day of the storm, we lodged a claim for 150 million with the owners of Claudel,'' explains André Holt, financial director of the Maasvlakte Oil Terminal. “At that time, we assumed a worst-case scenario, namely that one of the refineries would have to be closed down temporarily because it wouldn’t be possible to supply it with oil.''
Now, it turns out that the damage is limited. But the bank guarantee for € 21 million, which the owners of the Claudel issued on the day of the storm, has now been withdrawn. At the beginning of February, the court ruled that the shipping company could not be accused of serous misconduct in connection with the accident. The owners of the MOT, or their insurance company, will therefore have to dig deep into their own pockets.
A new attempt is being made to recover some of the loss from the owner of the Claudel. That will probably be 5 million at the most. “That still leaves a tidy sum,'' says Holt. “Certainly if you bear in mind that we had nothing to do with the accident. The Claudel is a container ship that was moored at ECT and broke adrift. But the legal proceedings on liability could drag on for years.''
The MOT is co-owned by six big oil companies and tank storage firms. They appear to be coping, using all kinds of tricks, although the MOT only has one jetty at its disposal for the time being.
Repair work on the jetty will not be completed until next year. On 28 March, the MOT and the owners of the ‘disaster ship’ will be facing each other again in court.
The millions are needed to rebuild the jetty and clear up the oil spill.
The damage occurred in January when the container ship CMA CGM Claudel broke adrift in the storm and rammed the MOT jetty.
”On the day of the storm, we lodged a claim for 150 million with the owners of Claudel,'' explains André Holt, financial director of the Maasvlakte Oil Terminal. “At that time, we assumed a worst-case scenario, namely that one of the refineries would have to be closed down temporarily because it wouldn’t be possible to supply it with oil.''
Now, it turns out that the damage is limited. But the bank guarantee for € 21 million, which the owners of the Claudel issued on the day of the storm, has now been withdrawn. At the beginning of February, the court ruled that the shipping company could not be accused of serous misconduct in connection with the accident. The owners of the MOT, or their insurance company, will therefore have to dig deep into their own pockets.
A new attempt is being made to recover some of the loss from the owner of the Claudel. That will probably be 5 million at the most. “That still leaves a tidy sum,'' says Holt. “Certainly if you bear in mind that we had nothing to do with the accident. The Claudel is a container ship that was moored at ECT and broke adrift. But the legal proceedings on liability could drag on for years.''
The MOT is co-owned by six big oil companies and tank storage firms. They appear to be coping, using all kinds of tricks, although the MOT only has one jetty at its disposal for the time being.
Repair work on the jetty will not be completed until next year. On 28 March, the MOT and the owners of the ‘disaster ship’ will be facing each other again in court.