In his May 2014 court decision on Irving versus their insurers, Justice Sean Harrington said that the federal "government of the day was pursuing a political agenda...This was post Exxon Valdez"—in reference to the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill. "[T]he principle of 'polluter pays' was in vogue...although the precise timing of the refloating may have been political, the fact remains that the Irving Whale would have broken up, probably sooner, rather than later, she would corrode and break up, releasing well over 3,000 [tonnes] of oil to the great prejudice of the marine habitat, the shoreline, and those dependent upon the sea and shore."