Halifax Provincial Court News

A Halifax Provincial Court Judge has imposed a penalty of $80,000 against the Motor Vessel Alida Gorthon for a pollution offense. The Alida Gorthon is a 12,750 GRT general cargo vessel owned by Blow Sea Shipping Ltd. and registered in Cyprus. The vessel faced charges under the Canada Shipping Act related to the unlawful discharge of a pollutant and failure to report the discharge of a pollutant. The charges were laid following a June 22, 2007 pollution incident in which an oil slick of less than 13 gallons was spotted in the vessel's wake, approximately 124 miles south of Halifax, Nova Scotia. Advanced detection equipment aboard Transport Canada's Dash 8 surveillance aircraft was instrumental in detecting and gathering evidence in the case against the vessel.