BP SHIPPING been fined $48,000 for spilling jet fuel oil in the Port Adelaide River in 2020.
According to the Environment Protection Authority of South Australia, the oil spill was caused by a hose failure while BP Shipping vessel British Engineer was moored at the Australian Terminals Operations Management terminal.
The vessel was transferring Jet A-1 fuel to the Mobil onshore terminal in late February 2020 when the pressurised liquid chemical hose failed at the vessel’s discharge point.
The failure resulted in an unknown quantity of fuel onto the deck of the vessel and into the port river. The EPA said the company had not taken all reasonable steps to prevent the hose failure.
Following the incident, the community reportedly made multiple complaints to the EPA concerning odours and health effects from the fumes.
EPA chief executive Tony Circelli said an assessment by an independent environmental consultant had supported the impacts reported by the 16 people who complained or made reports to the EPA.
“After an investigation the EPA was satisfied that BP Shipping had caused material environmental harm through the odours from the spoiled fuel affecting the community,” Mr Circelli said.
BP Shipping, a UK-registered company, has agreed to pay a civil penalty of more than $48,000 for the incident, but will pay a total of $65,319 for the penalty and technical expenses, plus almost $11,000 for legal costs.
The EPA said it had negotiated a civil penalty as an alternative to criminal prosecution.
The penalty was reduced by BP Shipping’s submissions of its good compliance record, as the company had no previous enforcement action by the EPA in South Australia.
The EPA said the company had taken immediate action to clean up the spill and later ceased the use of flexible hoses for cargo operations.
