It has been nearly 2 years since the Bohai Bay oil spill by ConocoPhillips China. So far nobody has been held criminally responsible for what has been clearly defined by relevant government bodies as a “major accident”. Furthermore compensation for the losses suffered by the victims, fishermen and farmers, is far from being settled. In fact claims by victims from Shandong Province were even excluded from the compensation fund.

Even under such circumstances, however, on January 16 of this year the State Oceanic Administration approved resumption of the operation of Penglai 19-3 Oilfield. Some lawyers, mindful of justice, were greatly outraged and Lawyers Tang Huadong and Sun Peng from DHH Law Firm’s Shanghai Office requested the State Oceanic Administration to disclose relevant information. Lawyers Mao Hongtao and Xu Hongliang from DHH Law Firm’s Beijing Office submitted a Lawyer Proposal Letter to the Supreme People’s Procuratorate proposing criminal liability against those responsible for the accident.

Well-known public interest lawyers Jia Fangyi, Xia Jun and Huo Zhijian etc. repeatedly called on the media to condemn the re-authorisation of ConocoPhillips China. They hoped the Chinese courts would accept and hear cases filed by the fishermen and farmers claiming for their losses. They also requested the State Oceanic Administration to withdraw the re-authorisation license and halt the operation of 19-3 Oilfield.

At the Forum Mr. Luan Shaohu, Chairman of the Partners’ Meeting of Deheng Law Group said: “ConocoPhillips should be held responsible for its uncontrolled mining, and the justice and dignity of the law should be upheld.” Mr. Liu Kejiang, senior partner of Deheng Law Group introduced the happening, the processes by which the accident was handled and the re-authorisation of the oilfield.

Senior partners of Deheng Law Group addressed the Forum on “the Application for Information Disclosure with the State Oceanic Administration” and “the Proposal to the Supreme Procuratorate for Criminal Liabilities against Those Responsible for the Occurrence”. Well-known public interest lawyer Jia Fangyi spoke on “The hardship of the victims in “Claiming for Losses Caused by the Oil Spill”.

Other speakers included Professors Huo Weifang, Xiong Wenzhao, Wang Wanhua, Liu Shen etc. Lawyers Yang Jinzhu, Chen Guangwu, Ma Yong, Huo Zhijian etc also spoke on relevant topics such as “the Rule of Law”, “Information Disclosure by Government”, “Criminal Liability for  Major Accidents”, “the Approval of Re-authorisation is the Prerogative of Administrative Licensing”, “Civil Claims in Major Accidents”and “the State’s Right of Claim for Oceanic Oil Spill Damage” etc. 

The Forum aimed at promoting the undertaking of political and social responsibility by lawyers and implementation of the constitution and laws in order to contribute to safeguarding the dignity and authority of laws and establishing the rule of law in China.

Some environmental and public service organizations attended the Forum, including the Environmental Resource Law Research Center of the University of Political Science and Law, the Darwin Qiuzhi Agency and the Natural University etc.