Document text
--> --> Feds sue New Carissa owner, captain PORTLAND (AP) - The federal government has filed a $7 million lawsuit against the owner, operator and captain of the New Carissa for cleanup and other costs associated with a 70,000-gallon oil spill on the Oregon coast. The lawsuit names the ship's owner Green Atlas Shipping S.A. of Panama, operator Taiheiyo Kaiun Co. Ltd. of Japan and captain Benjamin Morgado, the Department of Justice said. The government said it is also investigating environmental damages that could be pursued for payment later. Moreover, the complaints filed Monday deny $96 million in claims filed earlier this year by the ship's owner, operator and insurer. Green Atlas filed suit in February, contending U.S. Coast Guard charts failed to show that waters where the ship went aground and broke apart in 1999 were unsafe. Green Atlas officials have not seen copies of the government's lawsuit, said Brian Bell, a company spokesman. "We recognize this is a complicated matter that will ultimately be resolved in court," he said. The New Carissa was coming in to pick up a load off wood chips when it ran aground in a storm on Feb. 4, 1999 on the North Spit of Coos Bay. Its stern remains beached off Coos Bay in two pieces. Consultants for the ship's owners say they examining removal options, but think it'll be at least two years before work can begin. Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing