Canada Fines Hapag-Lloyd Boxship for Violating Speed Limit

Transport Canada has issued a CAD 6,000 penalty to a containership for alleged non-compliance while a temporary mandatory speed restriction for ships was in effect.

The vessel in question is the 2,808 TEU Mississauga Express. It is owned and operated by Germany-based shipping company Hapag-Lloyd AG, VesselsValue’s data shows.

The vessel owner has 30 days to pay the penalty or to ask the Transportation Appeal Tribunal of Canada to review the facts of the violation or the amount of the penalty, Transport Canada said in a statement.

Implemented in August 2017, the temporary mandatory slowdown of vessels 20 meters or more to a maximum of 10 knots was in place to January 11, 2018, due to the increased presence of whales in the western Gulf of St. Lawrence, between the Quebec north shore and just north of Prince Edward Island.

Canada lifted the regulation as there have been no sightings of North Atlantic right whales in the area in recent weeks.

However, Transport Canada said it “will not hesitate to impose the speed restriction again if the whales migrate back to the area.”