VANCOUVER — Charges have been laid against the owners of the MV Marathassa nearly two years after a leak of bunker fuel onto the beaches of English Bay in Vancouver.
Documents filed in provincial court show the Marathassa and Greece-based Alassia NewShips Management Inc., face a total of 10 charges including discharge of a pollutant.
In all, six charges have been laid under Canadian shipping legislation, two relate to alleged Fisheries Act violations and single charges linked to alleged violations of federal environmental laws and the Migratory Bird Act.
None of the allegations has been tested in court.
At least 2,700 litres of bunker fuel spilled from the bulk carrier on April 8, 2015, as the Cypriot-registered vessel was moored in English Bay.
An independent review revealed a series of miscommunications delayed the cleanup for hours and that response was further hampered because the captain of the Marathassa refused to acknowledge his vessel was leaking.
