A pair of Greek shipping companies have been fined $2.7 million after federal officials found one of their cargo vessels had been polluting the sea for months — actions the crew then tried to hide from the Coast Guard by doctoring their record books.
The fine, announced Thursday, stems from an inspection of the Ocean Hope in July 2015 while the cargo ship was docked at the Port of Wilmington. During that inspection, senior engineers for the companies tried to hide that the vessel had been dumping oily wastes into the ocean for months, according to a release from the U.S. Department of Justice.
Along with the fine, part of which will be paid to a marine reef sanctuary, the companies are barred from sending ships to U.S. ports until the penalties are paid, the release states.
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Source: U.S. Department of Justice
