Island Tug 35

This vessel is no longer registered in Canada. In Canada (Ship-Source Oil Pollution Fund) v. Dr. Jim Halvorson Medical Services Ltd., a barge named Crown Forest 84-6 [wooden hull, 39.93m x 11.70m x 2.96m, register closed 2015] (Vessel) sank off the coast of Vancouver Island. The Fund paid clean-up costs of more than C$70,000 to the Canadian Coast Guard. The Fund sought to recover those costs from the “owner” of the Vessel pursuant to the Marine Liability Act, but an issue arose about who owned the Vessel. According to the Canadian Register of Vessels (Register), Dr. Jim Halvorson Medical Services Ltd. (MSL) was the registered owner of the Vessel. The Fund sued MSL. However, MSL sold the Vessel to Mr. Fred Adams before the Vessel had sunk. Neither MSL nor Adams took any steps to update the Register to reflect change of ownership after the sale. MSL denied that it was the owner when the Vessel sunk, and therefore, denied liability. The Court held that MSL was not the owner of the Vessel and that MSL was not liable to the Fund.