Hibernia operator fined $80k after pleading guilty in crude oil spill
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. — The company that runs the Hibernia platform off Newfoundland has pleaded guilty after it continued to operate despite a leak in 2013 that spilled about 6,000 litres of crude oil into the North Atlantic.
The Hibernia Management and Development Company was fined $80,000 and ordered to pay $170,000 into the federal Environmental Damages Fund.
The company “deeply regrets this spill occurred,” spokeswoman Margot Bruce-O’Connell said Friday in an emailed statement. “The Hibernia offshore and onshore workforce is committed to operating in an environmentally responsible manner.
“The cause of the incident was due to equipment failure, although the offshore loading system equipment was newly installed in 2012.”