An offshore oil company has been fined more than $50,000 for a near-fatal incident aboard its rig more than six years ago.

And while they accept the sentence as “reasonable,” the conviction itself is another story.

Texas-based Transocean Drilling Services had faced two charges under offshore health and safety rules, but in the end was convicted of failing to ensure a crane was properly operated.

The incident occurred on Sept. 6th, 2019, aboard the Transocean Barents rig in the Terra Nova field.

Then-27-year-old Chris Ryan was working as a roustabout when the crane hooked into equipment, trapping him against a railing and nearly crushing him to death. He’s still recovering from injuries to his spine, ribs, collarbone, pancreas, liver and colon.

Transocean pleaded not guilty, and there was a trial in which Judge Lois Skanes found them guilty, saying while there was no “reckless disregard” for safety, the company followed policies that were not in line with established rules — namely the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Marine Installations and Structures Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Transitional Regulations.– resulting in the near-tragedy.

Skanes fined the company $50,000 and also ordered a $15,000 payment to the College of the North Atlantic for safety-related programs.

The victim and his father were in the courtroom this morning but declined to comment pending other potential legal action.

Transocean lawyer Alex Templeton hinted the company isn’t done yet either.

‘We’ve identified multiple appealable errors that were made by the judge in this case,” he told VOCM News outside the courtroom this morning.

The company now has 30 days to either pay the fine or file an appeal.