Other LanguagesKENNEWICK — At the request of Attorney General Bob Ferguson, the Benton County District Court today ordered defendant Brandon Traner to pay the state $144,000 for the cleanup of a fishing trawler that Traner was recently convicted of abandoning in the Columbia River. Ferguson’s office obtained the first derelict vessel conviction in Washington state last month after Traner’s trawler, the M/V Forus, sank and released 50 gallons of diesel fuel and 8 gallons of motor and hydraulic oils into the Columbia,
“Derelict vessels hurt the environment and cost taxpayers millions,” Ferguson said. “This conviction sends a strong message: My office will track down environmental criminals and hold them accountable.”
On August 7, 2014, Traner pleaded guilty to two offenses, abandoning a derelict vessel and discharge of polluting matters into state waters. Traner was sentenced to 20 days jail, $540 in fines and assessments, and two years on probation. Traner has served the 20 days in jail, but has not yet paid the fines and assessments.
The restitution ordered at today’s hearing will replenish funds from the Department of Natural Resources and Ecology accounts used to remove the M/V Forus from the Columbia River. The DNR Derelict Vessel Removal Program will receive $60,000, while the other $84,000 will reimburse the Ecology Coastal Protection Fund, which cleans up oil spills.
"We want to make sure owners of derelict vessels do not pollute our waterways,” said Commissioner of Public Lands Peter Goldmark, who oversees 2.6 million acres of state-owned aquatic lands as head of the Washington Department of Natural Resources. “We will work with the Attorney General to go after those who think they can dump in Washington’s rivers and in Puget Sound.”
“Our top priority is always to prevent spills from occurring, because the moment oil hits water it begins causing damage,” said Dale Jensen, Ecology Spills Program Manager. “The conviction is an important step forward in prevention efforts and sends an informative message about boat owner responsibility. When negligent spills occur, we must hold those responsible accountable…this could have been prevented.
Background on the derelict vessel, M/V Forus
Traner’s boat was evicted from the Columbia Marine Center in Pasco in July 2013. According to the state’s affidavit of probable cause, Traner asked his friend, Lyle Aylett, to pilot the M/V Forus to the Hat Rock Marina in Oregon. Aylett told the investigator the vessel soon began taking on water in the middle of the navigation channel, forcing him to abandon it and swim to safety.
The Forus sank in the middle of the Columbia River in approximately 40 feet of water. Court documents state the masts posed a threat to passing barges and vessels in that well-trafficked area.
Due to the difficulty of lifting the vessel from the river bed, it took more than a month to remove the Forus from the Columbia. The removal effort prevented the release of an additional 159 gallons of fuel. The M/V Forus was taken to the Port of Pasco for storage, then dismantled and shipped for disposal.
Ferguson has made prosecuting environmental crimes a priority of his administration. He filed charges against the owners of two other derelict vessels in late January: the Helena Star of Pierce County and the Chickamauga of Kitsap County. Both leaked hundreds of gallons of fuel into Puget Sound. Cleanup costs for the Helena Star alone have already exceeded $1 million.
For information on the Dept. of Natural Resources Derelict Vessel Removal Program click, here.
Assistant Attorney General Josh Choate is lead on this case.
- 30 -
CONTACT:
Alison Dempsey-Hall, Acting Communications Director