BP has been fined over a jet fuel spill in Adelaide's Port River. 

The petroleum giant will pay a $48,000 fine and other costs for spilling fuel into Adelaide's Port River in 2020, agreeing to a total fine of $65,319 to avoid prosecution by South Australia's Environment Protection Authority (EPA).

The EPA says it received 16 complaints about the spill, including reports of negative health effects from the fumes.

The spill happened on February 29, 2020, when a BP vessel was moored at Largs Bay, transferring A-1 jet fuel to the onshore terminal owned by Mobil.

A pressurised liquid chemical hose on the ship failed, sending an "unknown quantity of fuel onto the deck of the ship and into the Port River”, the EPA said.

A-1 fuel is one of the most common fuels used in the global aviation industry, but is also regarded as toxic, potentially causing “severe and potentially fatal” consequences if ingested, according to BP’s own website.

The EPA found that the company did not take “all reasonable steps” to prevent the hose failure.

“After an investigation the EPA was satisfied that BP Shipping Limited had caused material environmental harm through the odours from the spilled fuel affecting the community,” EPA chief executive Tony Circelli said.

The EPA says BP did take “immediate action” to clean up the spill and stopped using flexible hoses for cargo operations following the incident.

BP's penalty was reduced because of the company's “submissions of its good compliance record”.