Farley Mowat owner ordered to pay more than $140,000 in costs to Town of Shelburne

The Town of Shelburne has won a Federal Court decision granting them the entitlement to recover more than $140,000 from the owner of the MV Farley Mowat.

The money would be for outstanding berthage fees, clean-up costs, maintenance and security costs, and legal costs incurred during the almost three years the derelict ship was tied up and abandoned at the Shelburne Marine Terminal.

The decision was handed down on Dec. 21 by Federal Court Judge Elizabeth Heneghan.

Broken down the court’s judgment grants the Town of Shel- burne the following:

■ Outstanding berthage for Sept. 9, 2014, to April 8, 2017, in the amount of $50,245.80.

■ Outstanding berthage accrued from April 9, 2017, to the date of removal of the defendant ship.

■ Costs related to clean-up costs and maintenance of the defendant ship after July 2016 – $21,338.00.

■ Ancillary costs relative to securing of the defendant ship in the amount of $62.32.

■ Security costs in the amount of $13, 823.24.

■ Partial recovery of legal fees and HST in the amount of $49,446.99.

■ Recovery of disbursements, including HST, in the total amount of $5,775.31. ■ Costs of the court motion. The defendant, Tracy Dodds, was given 30 days to appeal the decision.

Shelburne Mayor Karen Mattatall said the town is “certainly pleased with the decision” and happy that the court ruled in the town’s favour.

“This will give us the opportunity to pursue any options that may become available to us,” Mattatall said about recouping the expenses.

The Farley Mowat was removed from the Shelburne Marine Terminal on July 26, 2017, by way of contract issued by the Canadian Coast Guard, which found the found the derelict vessel was presenting a risk of pollution to the marine environment in the area.