OIL IN HARBOUR.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20537, 11 April 1930, Page 12

OIL IN HARBOUR.

CAPTAIN OF TANKER FINED.

PENALTY OF £IOO.

" PARTICULARLY BAD CASE."

TASK OF CLEARING WATER

After counsel for the Auckland Harbour Board had stated that the case was a particularly bad one, a fine of £IOO was imposed by Mr. F. K. Hunt, S.M., in the Police Court yesterday afternoon on G. Th. Thorsen, master of the oiltanker Acasta, who admitted a charge of allowing the discharge or escape of oil into the harbour. The prosecution was brought by the harbourmaster, Captain H. H. Sergeant, under tho Oil in Territorial Waters Act, 1926.

Mr. Gray, for the Harbour Board, stated that on Wednesday evening the attention of a Harbour Board official had been drawn to a quantity of oil which had escaped from the Acasta, which was at Western Wharf. The harbourmaster, who was informed, went with witnesses to the vessel and found that the gangway had been drawn up, preventing anybody going on board. When they managed to get on the ship they found thai the deck on the port side from the bridge aft was covered with oil, which had escaped from the scuppers and was floating in largo patches under tho wharf and extending over lOOfi. from the vessel.

Offence Difficult to Trace. Six men had been working in a launch from daybreak in clearing the oil and were not yet finished. The harbourmaster caused to be delivered to each vessel reaching port a warning about the escape of oil, and the master of the Acasta must have been aware of the position. "This is a. particularly bad case," concluded counsel. " The offence is one that is very difficult to trace and to sheet home."

Mr. Weir, representing Captain Thorsen, said there were two tanks on the ship, one forward and one aft, and these were connected by a pipeline with a valve at each end. In each tank there was also an opening for taking soundings before loading oil. The ship was down by the stern, so that the forward tank was higher than the tank aft, and when the valves were opened oil ran to the after tank. That was the usual method at the commencement of pumping operations. There must have been an airlock in the pipeline, allowing the oil to come out of the hole used for sounding. The blocks in on© of the scuppers were not perfect and the oil had leaked overboard. As soon as the escape of oil was discovered the oil was turned off at the valves.

The Magistrate: Was there not anybody on board watching the operations?"

Fine in Addition to Costs

" It. was so unusual," said Mr. Weir. " This has never happened' before in the captain's experience. They do not place a man to watch operations because it is not considered necessary. I understand that not much oil escaped. The captain says that in his opinion there, was not more than a barrel full. I suggest that in this case there was no negligence."

In reply to the magistrate, Mr. Gray said the cost of clearing the oil was not definitely known, hut it would be in the vicinity of £3O. Mr. Weir said that the oil company concerned would pay all expenses. " The Act says that I must fine them in addition to the payment of costs," remarked the magistrate. Mr. Gray said that the oil company had undertaken to enter a bond to pay costs. The penalty would be for the magistrate to tix. " The maximum fine for this offence is £500; that is what the Legislature thinks of it." said the magistratae. "I will fine this man £IOO, a fifth of the maximum."