Bremerton Boat Owner Fined $279K for Diesel Spill

Washington’s Department of Ecology fined Mark Hayes $279,000 after concluding he pumped 123 gallons of red-dye diesel from his 38-foot vessel, the Nautilus, into Bremerton Marina overnight on Nov. 27, 2024. The agency said Hayes had been warned that the boat was taking on water, then failed to report the spill, asked a marina employee not to report it, and gave investigators false or conflicting statements. Cleanup crews recovered about 90 gallons over nine days; cormorants and a river otter were observed in the fuel sheen. The state also ordered Hayes to reimburse $74,458 in response costs and pay $3,868 for an environmental-damage assessment.