The court in the northwestern Spanish city of A Coruna also said the regional government of Galicia, off whose coast the Prestige tanker sank, be compensated 1.8 million euros and neighbouring France, which was also affected, 61 million euros.

The ship's Greek captain Apostolos Mangouras and British insurers The London P&I Club were condemned to pay one billion dollars, the court said in a statement -- the maximum limit fixed by the company in its contract for the ship.

The rest must be paid by ship owner Mare Shipping Inc. and the International Oil Pollution Compensation Funds, a grouping of two inter-governmental organisations that provide compensation for environmental damage resulting from spills.

The Prestige tanker ran into trouble in rough seas in November 2002. Six days later, damaged and adrift, it broke in two and sank off the coast of Galicia.

The accident saw 63,000 tonnes of oil spill into the sea and blacken 2,980 kilometres (1,852 miles) of shoreline in Spain, France and Portugal with sludge.

The spill caused huge damage to wildlife and the environment, as well as to the region's fishing industry, leading to an international cleanup effort.