BUFFALO, N.Y. – Algoma Central Corporation, a prominent shipping company based in St. Catharines, Ontario, has been fined $100,000 after pleading guilty to violating probation terms related to a previous Clean Water Act infringement. This latest development was announced by U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross and presented before U.S. Magistrate Judge H. Kenneth Schroeder, Jr.
The case, managed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron J. Mango, traces back to December 2020, when Algoma Central Corporation admitted to negligently discharging 12,000 gallons of oily bilge water into Lake Ontario from the vessel Algoma Strongfield in June 2017. This violation resulted in the court mandating an Environmental Compliance Plan as part of Algoma’s probation.
However, the company failed to adhere to these stipulations. On November 26, 2022, the Algoma Innovator discharged treated bilge water for about 30 minutes within the Thunder Bay Marine Sanctuary in Lake Huron. Additionally, on April 13, 2023, the Algoma Conveyor released approximately 99 gallons of treated vessel sewage into Michigan waters, a designated “no discharge” zone. These incidents, along with five separate releases of dry cargo residue into the Great Lakes, constituted violations of the imposed Environmental Compliance Plan.
The investigation leading to these findings was conducted by the U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service, led by Resident Agents Cindy C. Buckley in Buffalo, NY, and Edward L. Songer in Detroit, MI.
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