California officials said Monday that the operators of two vessels that caused a 2021 oil spill off Orange County agreed to pay $200,000 to settle violations.
What happened: Operators of the Beijing and the MSC Danit, both large container vessels, paid $150,000 in administrative penalties and $50,000 to fund the purchase and installation of a new radar to automatically track incoming and outgoing vessels, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced.
Why it matters: The payout closes CDFW’s case against the two operators, which began after an investigation into the origins of an underwater oil leak revealed that both ships’ anchors had been stuck on a pipeline for hours during a storm in January 2021.
The pipeline later ruptured in October 2021, spilling nearly 25,000 gallons of crude oil that washed up onto Orange County beaches. The incident prompted lawmakers from California, including members of Congress and the state Legislature, to call for a ban on offshore drilling, though neither effort was successful.
