By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

THE company responsible for last summer's Exuma oil spill has agreed to pay a fine for environmental damage caused following the incident, according to Attorney General Ryan Pinder.

However, Mr Pinder was unable to say disclose the fine’s amount because he said it was not yet finalised.

“We have agreed to a fine in that with the other side,” he said at a press conference Thursday.

“I think that will be the first fine collected by the government of The Bahamas in an environmental matter since the passage of the legislation. So, a fine has been agreed with the parties in Exuma.”

In July, 35,000 gallons of diesel spilled into waters off an Exuma bay as a vessel contracted by Sun Oil was offloading fuel to Bahamas Power and Light at George Town.

The leakage reportedly happened due to a “breach in the hose” that ran from the supply ship.

On Thursday, Mr Pinder also briefly spoke on how the government plans to deal with owners of a ship that sank off Abaco late last year.

The sunken vessel has yet to be removed.

Mr Pinder recently told The Tribune his office is considering fining the owners.

On Thursday, he added: “We are looking to put in fines on the delay in the removal of the wreck in Abaco. How our legislation is drafted … our legislation restricts our ability to issue what is called spot fines (which is) fines on the spot.”

“They require us to go to court, get a judgement and issue the fines. We are now redrafting some regulations under the environmental planning and protection act to allow DEPP (The Department of Environmental Planning and Protection) to issue spot fines in issuances of continued noncompliance.”

“So, when I mentioned today, we are looking at issuing fines for the delay, we are looking at the vast scope of legislation that we have, including the merchant shipping act and all the underlying regulation to properly enumerate the authority to issue spot fines on the delay of the vessel in Abaco.”