US tug firm to be sentenced for 2016 spill in BC First Nation’s territory – Bowen Island Undercurrent
July 15, 2019
BELLA BELLA, B.C. — A Texas-based company is scheduled to be sentenced after pleading guilty to a diesel spill from a tug boat that ran aground and sank in a First Nation’s fishing territory on British Columbia’s central coast.
The Nathan E. Stewart spilled 110,000 litres of diesel and heavy oils in October 2016 and the Transportation Safety Board ruled last year a crew member missed a planned course change because he fell asleep while alone on watch.
Court documents on the provincial court website show Kirby Corp. has pleaded guilty to three of nine counts while a civil case for damages filed by the Heiltsuk Nation is ongoing.
