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Total disputes Shell's claim
Buncefield Trial. Day 30: Oil company Total denied Shell had any claim for damages due to lost business as a result of the Buncefield disaster, the High Court heard.
On Monday, December 15 the court was told Shell did not have proper ownership rights over the facilities at the depot to enable it to claim for lost fuel sales.
Lord Grabiner, acting for Total, said: "These are claims for very substantial sums of money."
He told the hearing Shell 'do not have a right to possess'.
"What they do have is user rights," he said.
Shell is seeking around 157million US dollars in compensation because it could not use Buncefield to distribute petrol, diesel and jet fuel following the blast.
But Lord Grabiner said the law was 'dead against' Shell and contracts concerning how pipelines operated at the depot did not back its claim.
"They don't give the participants any right to possess anything at all," he told the court.
Shell has previously told the court it has been repaid for 8million US dollars' worth of jet fuel that went up in the blaze.
Shell, BP, residents and businesses are seeking damages of around 700million from Total and Hertfordshire Oil Storage Limited.
The trial is due to finish tomorrow (Tuesday, December 16) but a judgement is not expected until well into 2009.
Even then more hearings in different courts will be required to thrash out the details of the level of compensation due to each party in the case.
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Friday 25 May 2012
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