Patriot Marine Must Face Liability for Massachusetts Oil Spill

A Connecticut-based marine construction company must shoulder the cost of cleaning up an oil discharge from its ship off the coast of Massachusetts, a federal judge ruled.

The US District Court for the District of Massachusetts already determined that Patriot Marine LLC was liable for the discharge under the Oil Pollution Act and state law. The company attempted to avoid responsibility for the $1 million cost of cleanup under an OPA defense which allows companies to limit liability if an oil spill was caused by an act of God, an act of war, or an act of a third party. ...