THE $20,000 penalty paid by the Asian fishing vessel cited for dumping oil into the Suva Harbour on May 1 was to pay for the clean-up of the harbour.
Attorney-General and Minister for Economy, Public Enterprises, Civil Service and Communication Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum explained port officials had deployed pilot boats and environmental officers to the ships location.
He also explained the name of the vessel had been in dispute while responding to Ro Teimumu Kepa’s request for information on other action taken by the Government minimise the environment implications on marine resources caused by that vessel.
He added Government had taken action to ensure relevant agencies were clear on their roles when future events take place.
“Penalty will compensate for clean up. They have paid the penalty or we would have seized the vessel,” he said.
