Following a Paris court’s ruling on Wednesday that ordered oil giant Total SA to pay e192 million in damages over the sinking of the Maltese-registered oil tanker Erika, the oil company has suggested that it may appeal the court’s ruling.

Voice of America reported yesterday that in a statement, Total said there were numerous grounds to appeal the French court’s verdict.

The sinking of the oil tanker off the coast of Brittany in 1999 had caused France’s worst oil spill and the criminal court found Total guilty of maritime pollution.

The oil company was fined the maximum penalty of e375,000 and ordered to pay a share of the damages. It was the first time in France that a criminal court awarded damages on an oil spill. Total was cleared of a separate charge of complicity in endangering people and property.

Erika, an ageing and rusting tanker owned by a Total subsidiary, had been carrying 20,000 metric tonnes of toxic heavy fuel oil when it split in two in the Bay of Biscay and sank in rough seas on 12 December, 1999. It had polluted 250 miles of French coast, killing up to 75,000 birds.

The court blamed Total for carelessness in leasing the 23-year-old tanker, which sailed under a number of registered names and owners.

Following the ruling on Wednesday, environmentalists expressed their delight, particularly since the ruling may create a key precedent for future spills.

More importantly, a year after the 1999 sinking, the EU agreed on tighter controls on maritime safety, particularly the phasing out of single hull tankers like the Erika.