German ship operator pays for hit and run spill in Columbia River

Singapore company also fined for pollution by Washington State

The Washington State Department of Ecology has hit two ship operators with fines for hydraulic oil spills in state waters.

DS Schiffahrt GmbH & Co. KG of Hamburg, Germany, was fined $17,250 because the Hyundai Republic, a 997-foot container ship, spilled 159 gallons into Tacoma’s Blair Waterway in March.

The incident occurred after the vessel’s bow thruster was damaged with a three foot fracture as the ship was getting underway out of the Port of Tacoma. Crew members said they heard the sound of loud metal breaking as the thruster engaged. Low hydraulic fluid warning lights went off on the bridge and engine room. After shutting down the system for 15 minutes, the ship fled the dock under tug assistance. The master ignored state law by failing to immediately report the incident, refusing to  contain the leak or clean up the oil.

“This incident is alarming because the ship's master didn't report the spill until 3 p.m. — after the Hyundai Republic was nearly to Seattle," said David Byers, of the Department of Ecology.

Ecology fined Masterbulk Pte Ltd. of Singapore for a separate incident three days later. It’s 700-foot cargo vessel, Heranger, developed a slow hydraulic leak in the Columbia River that lasted for 58 hours. Masterbulk received a $16,000 fine.

Source: Professional Mariner