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The Department of National Defence was ordered on April 11 in Halifax Provincial Court to pay a penalty of $100,000 after the DND admitted violating the Fisheries Act.

The charges stem from a May 8, 2013, incident where approximately 9000 litres of diesel fuel was spilled from HMCS St. John’s into Halifax Harbour while the vessel was at anchor, according to the federal government.

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tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or DND fined $100,000 for diesel fuel spill from HMCS St. John’s Back to video

More details from the government here:

This led to several reports of a large sheen in the harbour and a strong smell of diesel fuel in the surrounding area.

DND representatives reported the diesel fuel spill on the morning of May 8, 2013, and participated in efforts to contain and recover the spill over the next several days. On January 30, 2015, Environment and Climate Change Canada charged DND for an alleged violation of the Fisheries Act.

Of the $100,000 penalty, $98,000 will be directed to the Government of Canada’s Environmental Damages Fund.

The Environmental Damages Fund is administered by Environment and Climate Change Canada. The fund was created in 1995 to provide a way to direct funds received as a result of fines, court orders and voluntary payments to priority projects that benefit our environment.