After 11 years of deliberation since the incident, in which the Liberian-flagged tanker broke up and sank spilling approximately 50,000 tonnes of oil over 1,700km of Atlantic coastline, Mangouras and Chief Engineer Nikolaos Argyropolous were acquitted of criminal damage by Spanish courts.
However, Mangouras has been charged with disobedience, and sentenced to nine months in prison, despite what Liberian flag state has described as ‘exemplary’ actions. “Confronted with refusal by the Spanish authorities to give the damaged ship refuge, Captain Mangouras had courageously done everything possible to protect crew, ship and cargo and to protect the environment,” claimed Intertanko, asserting that he has been “outrageously treated as a criminal”.
The association also drew attention to the two years Mangouras spent in detention, 85 days of which was spent in a high-security prison.
Then-head of Spain’s merchant marine department, José Luis López Sors González, was also acquitted, which means that the Spanish state will not be held responsible for the disaster.
“Intertanko considers the conviction and sentencing of Captain Mangouras as lamentable, inexcusable and fundamentally wrong, setting a precedent for the treatment as criminals of ships' masters who try to do their best for seafarers, ship and environment when under extreme adverse circumstances,” the association said in a statement.
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