the us department of justice has ordered a shipping company to pay compen-sation for an oil spill, which killed millions of lobsters and other wildlife of the Block Island Sound, near Rhode Island, usa .

The department has directed Eklof Marine Corporation ( emc ) to pay us $16 million, of which at least us $8 million should be used to restore ponds, replenish shellfish and protect habitat for loons, sea birds and piping plovers of the Block Island Sound. The rest of the amount should be used for buying female lobsters.

The agreement comes after four year of intense struggle between the us government and emc . The company still faces a lawsuit by fisherfolk.
emc's boat had ran aground during a storm in 1996, spilling over 828,000 gallons of oil in Block Island Sound.