Husky Oil has been fined a total of $2.5 million in connection with the largest oil spill in this province’s history.
The joint submission from the company and the Crown was endorsed and imposed in provincial court this morning.
The penalty is for spilling about 250,000 litres of crude oil into the Atlantic Ocean in November of 2018.
It happened when an underwater flow line became disconnected due to a series of technical issues near the SeaRose FPSO.
Court heard that while the problem itself could not have been foreseen, there were mistakes made as crews tried to restart operations before the issue was identified and resolved.
In the end, Husky — which has since been acquired by Cenovus — pleaded guilty to three charges in exchange for three others being withdrawn.
The fines fall largely under environmental protection laws, including the Migratory Birds Act, with proceeds going to organizations that promote spill prevention, safety and cleanup.
A total of 17 oiled birds were spotted near the spill, with seven captured. Two of them were released, two were dead, while the other three either died or were put down.
Husky Oil has 30 days to wire the $2.5 million to the court.
Four months before this incident, Husky was fined $600,000 for another spill in Saskatchewan.