China aquaculture farmers demand compensation over oil spill  

渤海漏油案蹉跎3年索賠1.48億 曾使渤海灣嚴重污染

蹉跎三年，曾經使渤海灣受到嚴重污染的康菲漏油案終于在9日開庭。在天津海事法院，21名河北樂亭縣養殖戶訴被告康菲石油中國有限公司、中國海洋石油總公司，索賠1.48億元。[查看全文]

A trial involving 21 aquaculture farmers demanding compensation from ConocoPhillips China and the China National Offshore Oil Corp. (CNOOC) over an oil spill in 2011 began Tuesday.

The sea cucumber farmers from Leting County of Hebei Province demanded a compensation of 148 million yuan (23.9 million US dollars) to cover their economic losses and litigation costs, according to the Tianjin Maritime Court.

They claimed that the oil spill, which was not made public at first, led to the death of a large amount of their sea cucumbers, with losses amounting to 140 million yuan.

Ma Yong of the All-China Environment Federation said most such pollution cases face the challenge in determining economic losses from the pollution damages.

The Penglai 19-3 oilfield, jointly owned by CNOOC and the Chinese subsidiary of US oil giant ConocoPhillips, experienced a severe oil leak in mid 2011.

Spills in the oilfield polluted more than 6,200 square km of sea water, with 870 square km heavily polluted.

In April 2012, the State Oceanic Administration ordered the two companies to pay a total of 1.68 billion yuan in compensation for the damages to the marine ecosystem, as well as to fund environmental protection efforts in the Bohai Sea.