Property damage

Moveable property typically affected by an oil spill may include fishing gear, fishing boats and other vessels, together with fish farms and aquacultural stocks.  Real property similarly affected may include private beaches, piers and embankments, industrial installations with sea-water intakes, and privately owned islands.

Issues which have arisen after oil spills include the following:

• Cost of cleaning versus replacement
• Reasonableness of slaughtering contaminated stock
• Contamination of real property by wind-blown oil spray
• Loss of market value of real property
• Damage on board the ship carrying the oil
• Smoke and soot damage from escaped oil being set alight.

For further details of the law and practice relating to claims of this type see Chapter 11 of Shipping and the Environment, ‘Damage to Property’.