Matson, state agree to $15M settlement for shipping company molasses spill in Honolulu Harbor

A shipping company will pay more than $15 million to the state of Hawaii for a 2013 molasses spill in Honolulu Harbor.

State Attorney General Dough Chin announced the settlement with Matson Navigation on Wednesday. He says the $15.4 million settlement includes a combination of cash, restoration efforts and funding for environmental programs.

Matson pleaded guilty to federal criminal charges earlier this year for illegally releasing 1,400 tons of molasses into the harbor, killing more than 26,000 fish and other marine life. As part of a plea deal, Matson agreed to pay fines and restitution totaling $1 million.

Enough molasses to fill about seven rail cars oozed out from a section of pipe Matson thought had been sealed, suffocating marine life and discoloring the water as the sticky substance sunk.