Shell fined $11,000 over oil leaks into bay and on land

Two oil leaks at Corio have cost Shell thousands of dollars in fines, according to the state’s environmental watchdog.
EPA Victoria’s Geelong manager, Gavan Mathieson, said one leak created a 147-metre-long “oily sheen” on Corio Bay, while the second spilled about 1500 litres of crude oil underground outside the refinery boundary.
Mr Mathieson said “several” system failures were behind the bay leak.
“Shell (has) been in the business long enough to know this is not acceptable.”
Mr Mathieson said the on-shore leak led to oil leaking up through the ground to pool on the surface.
Shell cleaned up the site, he said.
Both spills breached Shell’s licence conditions demanding that waste discharges stay “in accordance with the limits and requirements” of the EPA.
The fines totalled $11,342.
Mr Mathieson said Shell must take its environmental responsibilities seriously and ensure operating systems were working “as expected”.
Shell spokesperson Joan McGovern said both incidents were “regrettable” and the company was “disappointed they occurred”.
“Shell takes these matters seriously, as evidenced by the effective and thorough investigation and clean-up response by the refinery,” she said.