Jury Told Tanker Captain Was Responsible for 1990 Oil Spill

The captain of an oil tanker ignored important data about ocean depth and tried to berth his ship at an offshore terminal, running it aground and causing the 1990 oil spill that fouled 15 miles of Orange County beaches, an attorney said Tuesday.

“The ship hit so hard that it brought people [on board] to their knees,” said Michael Leslie, a private attorney representing state and local governments.

Leslie spoke during opening arguments of a Superior Court jury trial in which state and local governments are seeking $20 million in damages from the American Trading Transportation Co., which owned and operated the tanker American Trader.

His account of the accident differed sharply from that of David Woolley, an attorney representing the shipping company. Describing Capt. A.R. LeWare as a “careful man,” Woolley blamed the accident on misinformation provided by a pilot whose job it was to guide the American Trader to the offshore terminal.

In a suit filed in January 1991, state and local officials sought millions of dollars in damages from a host of companies deemed responsible for the spill, including American Trading and BP America, which owned the oil and chartered the tanker.

Settlements were reached with BP America, a petroleum industry fund and Golden West Refining Co., which ran the terminal where the tanker attempted to moor.

American Trading, however, has declined to settle.