SEOUL (AFP) — The trial of five people accused of negligence in South Korea's worst oil spill, which has devastated marine farms and destroyed livelihoods, got underway Friday, officials said.
The defendants were not present since the judges, prosecutors and lawyers only discussed court procedures, a court official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
The trial is being held in Seosan, 90 kilometres (54 miles) southwest of Seoul and near the area worst hit by last month's spill. The next hearing will be on February 11.
The court was packed with people from the area affected by the spill. Outside, security officers were involved in a shoving match with about 300 people who could not get in the courtroom, Yonhap news agency reported.
Scores of marine farms and miles of beaches along the Yellow Sea coast were fouled when a barge carrying a large crane smashed into a tanker during a storm on December 7, holing the tanker in three places and spilling 10,900 tonnes of crude.
Two fish farmers and a fish seller have committed suicide following delays by local officials in paying out compensation. More than 3,000 people from the region staged an angry protest in Seoul Wednesday.
The central government has sent about 60 billion won (63 million dollars) from state coffers and private donations to the region, but local authorities have been at odds as how to divide up the money.
The accident happened after a line connecting one of two tugboats to the barge snapped, leaving the barge drifting uncontrollably towards the Hebei Spirit tanker.
The skippers of the barge and the tugboats, who are Korean, as well as the tanker's captain and chief officer, who are Indian nationals, have been charged with negligence and violating anti-pollution laws.
Samsung Heavy Industries, which owns the barge, and Hebei Shipping, a Hong Kong corporation that owns the tanker, were also indicted on charges of violating anti-pollution laws.
Robert Bishop, CEO of V. Ships which manages the Hebei Spirit, has defended the crew's actions. He said the tanker tried to avoid the barge, but it could not have pulled up its anchor and started its engines in time to avoid the collision.
The Hong Kong-registered tanker is being repaired in China.
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