$14,623 Fine Levied in Fuel Spill

The owner of an Argentine cargo ship that spilled 88 gallons of fuel into Los Angeles Harbor pleaded no contest Thursday to a single misdemeanor criminal charge and was ordered to pay a $14,623 fine.

The charge against Maruba S.C.A., the company that owns the cargo ship Centurian, marked the first local use of the state’s year-old Oil Spill Prevention and Response Act, Deputy City Atty. Don Kass said.

Under the act, anyone convicted of knowingly or negligently spilling oil into marine waters can be sentenced to up to a year in County Jail and fined up to $500,000.

The April 17 spill took place as the Centurian received fuel from a marine barge. An overflow ran along the deck and escaped into the water through openings that were supposed to have been sealed during fueling.

An attorney for Maruba S.C.A., Patrick G. Rogan, said the company immediately reported the spill to the U.S. Coast Guard and spent more than $200,000 cleaning it up.

“There was no trace of it when they were done,” Rogan said. “The criminal filing was absolutely inappropriate . . . given the good citizenship demonstrated by the owner.”

Rogan said the company agreed to plead no contest to avoid paying for an expensive trial.