In an unprecedented event in Canada's history, the Coast Guard recently imposed a financial fine on the owner of a ship that ran aground near Victoria, the capital of the Pacific Ocean-facing province of British Columbia.

The Canadian Coast Guard issued a fine of $15,000 against the owner of the ship "Akoo" on June 27, as reported today by the Canadian Press Agency.

"Akoo" is a cabin cruiser 8.2 meters long, which ran aground in Cadboro Bay at the southern end of Vancouver Island, near the city of Victoria.

The Coast Guard also found that the cruiser posed a danger to the marine environment and public safety and issued the mentioned fine under the Wrecked, Abandoned, or Hazardous Vessels Act adopted in July 2019.

The Coast Guard, affiliated with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans in the federal government, considers that the owner of "Akoo" did not comply with its directives requesting him to remove his boat from the marine environment.

The owner of "Akoo" must either pay the fine or request a review session at the Canadian Transportation Appeal Tribunal, and he has 30 days for either option.

In the same context, the Coast Guard said it has carried out various interventions related to "Akoo" in recent months, including when the cruiser ran aground near the shore and pollutants leaked into the marine environment, and its condition rapidly deteriorated, becoming a danger to public safety.

This federal body points out that it maintains a public inventory list of vessels at risk in Canada to ensure better follow-up and facilitate targeting vessels that need care.

So far, more than 2,000 shipwrecks, abandoned or hazardous vessels have been reported.

The Canadian Coast Guard also requests citizens' help in reporting wrecked, abandoned, or hazardous vessels.