JS Amazing, Nigeria, 6 June 2009

In May 2011, the 1992 Fund was informed of a spill which had occurred in June 2009 from the tanker JS Amazing which had spilled an unknown quantity of low pour fuel oil (LPFO) into the Warri River, Delta State, Nigeria. It was noted that the incident was not widely reported outside of Nigeria. No record of any insurance cover could be found with a P&I Club from the International Group of P&I Associations.
At the October 2011 sessions of the 1992 Fund Assembly meeting, the Nigerian delegation offered to provide further assistance to the Secretariat by ascertaining the background facts surrounding the incident.
In March 2012, the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Transport established a Marine Board of Inquiry to carry out an investigation into the cause of the spill.
In April 2012, the Marine Board of Inquiry published its report. In May 2012, a claim for NGN 30.5 billion (£121.5 million) was filed against, inter alia, the 1992 Fund by representatives of 248 communities allegedly affected by the spill.
In June 2012, the Director and members of the Secretariat visited Nigeria and met with the claimants’ representatives, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and the Nigerian Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) in order to gather further background information. Further information is contained in document IOPC/OCT12/3/12, issued by the Secretariat for consideration by the 1992 Fund Executive Committee at its 56th session.