Fishermen sue fuel supplier over contaminated diesel

Two fishermen have filed court proceedings against a local fuel supplier after allegedly being supplied with contaminated diesel fuel.

Joseph and Michael Morino, owners of the fishing trawler Consiglia Madre filed a judicial protest before the First Hall of the Civil Court against Mediterranean Offshore Bunkering Company Limited (MOBC) earlier today, in which they called on the company to pay damages for providing diesel fuel which was mixed with water.

Water contamination can be tremendously damaging to diesel engines, resulting in inefficient operation, expensive repairs and may also result in shortened engine life. Official tests on the fuel found a water content of over twice the acceptable maximum.

In their protest, filed against MOBC, the Parliamentary secretary for Agriculture, Fisheries and Animal Welfare and the Koperattiva Nazzjonali tas-Sajd, the plaintiffs claim that the engines of their vessels had been damaged as a result of the contaminated fuel they had bought from the company.

The judicial protest, signed by lawyer Anna Mallia, explains that the fishermen had asked MOBC to compensate them for the damage caused to their vessels and the loss of income they suffered whilst repairs were underway, but this demand had not been fulfilled.