Clam Farmers

Fort Wayne, IN: (Oct-19-07) More than a dozen clam farmers brought a lawsuit against Taiwan-based shipper Evergreen and Virginia-based Norfolk Dredging Co., alleging that an oil spill five years ago destroyed most of their crops. The suit stemmed from a September 2002 incident when some 12,500 gallons of oil oozed into Charleston waterways and polluted a 15-mile stretch of shoreline. Reports show that an Evergreen ship ran into unmarked and submerged sections of steel dredge pipe as the ship headed toward its North Charleston container terminal. It was estimated that the underwater crash tore a 24-foot-long gash in the vessel's hull and ruptured a fuel tank. About 15 clam farmers claimed their collective inventory dropped more than 90% from about 28 million clams to about 2 million. As part of a settlement reached, Evergreen and Norfolk Dredging Co. agreed to pay nearly $1.8 million to resolve the litigation. [JOURNAL GAZETTE: CLAM FARMERS]

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Published on Oct-22-07