The government still wants damages for the oil slick which hit its north-westcoast after the veteran tanker went down.
A Spanish court acquitted captain Apostolos Mangouras, 78, JoseLuis Lopez-Sors, a former director-general of the Merchant Marine, and chiefengineer Nikolaos Argyropoulos on environmental charges last week, while awarding nocompensation.
Mangouras was sentenced to nine months in jail for refusinga tow for the tanker, but it is unlikely he will serve any time.
"The
