There have been no significant tanker oil spills of late, which is just as well, as quite how the protection-and-indemnity (P&I) clubs would respond right now is uncertain.

The battle over the tanker Nissos Amorgos may be over but a legacy of distrust that still has to be overcome, lingers.

The dispute over a relatively modest spill by the 86,400-dwt Nissos Amorgos (built 1988) in Venezuela’s Maracaibo Channel in 1997 led to the biggest claims clash in the 37-year history of the International Oil Pollution Compensation (IOPC) Funds.