Company a no-show in B.C. provincial court on English Bay fuel spill charges
VANCOUVER — A company accused of operating a ship that leaked bunker fuel in Vancouver’s English Bay in April 2015 failed to appear in British Columbia Provincial Court to face charges linked to the spill.
The MV Marathassa and Alassia NewShips Management Inc., a firm based in Greece, were due in court Wednesday on 10 charges, including discharge of a pollutant, but only a lawyer for the ship appeared.
The spill of at least 2,700 litres of bunker fuel in English Bay and the ensuing miscommunications among Canadian authorities and delays in cleanup raised questions about Canada’s preparedness for oil spills.
A lawyer for Alassia previously filed an application for judicial review in Federal Court, alleging Canadian authorities failed to properly serve it with summonses, but its case hit a bump on Tuesday when a judge said the company should instead seek relief in B.C. Supreme Court.