Oil companies and the tanker industry deserve to be hit by Draconian legislation if they do not clean up their act, according to a major shipowner. A series of simple measures would eradicate most of the defects which led to the loss of the Erika, said Lars Carlsson, president of Swedish tanker operator Concordia Maritime. "If we in the shipping industry abstain from introducing...steps which can so easily reduce most of the hazards in sea transportation, we deserve what will undoubtedly hit us: legislation from authorities which may be both unpredictable and inefficient," he said. Heavy fuel oil from the TotalFina-chartered Erika polluted French beaches after the ship broke in two in December. Structural failure was said to be the likely cause of the loss by a preliminary French report.