In a case dating back to January 2012, Ineos ChlorVinyls has received a fine of £166,650 for a leak of caustic soda into the Manchester Ship Canal near its Runcorn, UK, site. The subsidiary of the Swiss-based petrochemical giant had admitted breaching its environmental permit after an estimated 3.8 t of the PVC starting material burst from a pipe while loading a ship.

In addition to the fine, Ineos was ordered to pay nearly £29,000 to defray costs of the criminal proceedings. UK news reports said the company issued an “unreserved apology.”

Authorities said that in the spill, which was caused by a faulty filter, about a quarter of the substance initially flowed into the canal. The rest that landed on the jetty, however, was later washed back into the canal during clean-up activity and sank to the bottom.

The court said the relatively low fine reflected the fact that it was levied on the company’s income rather than turnover and that Ineos ChlorVinyls did not stand to gain any financial benefit from the mishap.

In its judgement, the court said the Ineos offshoot had a “very good record” in respect of health and safety and environmental responsibility. It had had no convictions prior to the incident although it had been issued cautions relating to water discharge activity three times previously.

The court added there were “no signs of environmental harm,” as a result of the incident, as the impact on the area was localised and had only temporary effects, as workers had been able to shut off the pipe in less than a minute.

Despite the fact that the environmental impact of this case was minor, “this result shows that courts are now fining at levels which are proportionate to the means of the offender and this will hopefully bring home the message to all company directors and shareholders that environmental offences are taken seriously both by the regulators and the courts,” the Environment Agency said.