MV Solomon Trader oil spill on Rennell Island, Solomon Islands. Photo: The Australian High Commission Solomon Islands
Landowners in Solomon Islands have filed a compensation claim against international companies of an oil spill that happened in February 2019.
The grounding of the cargo ship MV Solomon Trader led to 300 tonnes of oil leaking into the marine areas of Rennell Island.
It is considered the biggest environmental disaster in Solomon Islands' history, and local residents say the effects of the disaster are still being felt today.
Australian lawyer Dirk Heinz told RNZ Pacific Waves that a generic apology from those responsible was not good enough.
"There have been some very cursory initial statements around being sorry. But I don't think sorry is going to cut it in this instance," he said.
"We are talking about up to 300 tonnes of heavy oil being leaked into a very vital ecosystem which is owned by these landowners."
The 3000 people who live by the Kangava Bay in East Rennell depend on fishing for sustenance and the water around the oil spill was heavily polluted.
Heinz said the corals were also obliterated by the ship, impacting the reef.
"Based on our conversations with our clients, the community's had to change the way they eat; from being able to access the reef to being fearful of toxins that are in the fish today and the shellfish they consume," he said.
"On a cultural level, people are anxious about lasting health impacts."
The landowners of Kangava Bay, East Rennell, have now filed a compensation claim against the international companies responsible for the ship.
Dirk added that the people of Rennell have waited far too long for justice.
"There's a whole array of painful impacts for the landowners and we are trying, as part of this case, to get the evidence and information around those impacts before the court so we can help them with their ruling and assessment of damages if we are successful."
