NATION : $500,000 Fine Imposed in Oil Spill
A federal judge today fined the captain and owner of the tanker World Prodigy more than $500,000 for a June 23 spill that dumped an estimated 300,000 gallons of light oil at the mouth of Narragansett Bay.
U.S. District Court Judge Ernest Torres fined Capt. Iakovos Georgudis $10,000, plus a mandatory special assessment of $25. In levying the fine, the judge noted that Georgudis had an excellent record and had assisted in clean-up efforts.
“The court has received assurances that the captain’s conduct was negligent, as opposed to willful or reckless,” Torres said.
The owner of the ship, Ballard Shipping Co. of New York, was fined $1 million and placed on one month’s probation. However, the judge suspended half that fine.
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