A ship owner has been sentenced for a messy incident in the Mersey River.
Cement carrier the MV Goliath crashed into two tugboats in the Devonport port area in 2022, sinking them.
Ship owner CSL Australia in July entered a plea of guilty to a downgraded charge of unlawfully causing an environmental nuisance.
On October 23, magistrate Duncan Fairley imposed a $7000 fine on the company and ordered that a conviction be recorded.
"It's fortunate the outcome was not far worse," Mr Fairley said.
A more serious charge of causing serious environmental harm was dropped on the condition the company pleaded guilty to the lesser charge, which carried a maximum fine of $21,300.
Factors Mr Fairley took into account in determining the $7000 fine were CSL Australia's otherwise exemplary record in Tasmania and its behaviour since the incident.
The MV Goliath carries cement from Devonport to Melbourne.
The sinking of the tugs caused diesel fuel and other hydrocarbons to escape into the river.
TasPorts, the owner and operator of the tugs and the wharf, incurred loss and damage through the removal of the wrecked tugs and remediation of the marine environment.
TasPorts sued CSL Australia for damages and, in May, the High Court ruled the owner of the Goliath could not limit its maritime liability for wreck removal expenses.
Mr Fairley said the company had already paid $1.75 million plus interest to Tasmania's Environment Protection Authority.