- Shipping company fined $1.75 million for falsifying records on illegal bilge waste discharge.
- Sentenced to probation and ordered to implement environmental compliance measures.
- Highlights strict MARPOL regulations for preventing marine pollution.
On October 30, in Pensacola, Florida, a shipping company pleaded guilty to creating and providing false records to the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) to conceal the illegal discharge of oily bilge waste. This violation constitutes a felony under the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS), reports SAFETY4SEA.
False Records on Pollution Discharge
The guilty plea stems from evidence that the company supplied falsified records to the USCG regarding its handling of oily bilge waste, a practice detected during an investigation after the ship arrived in Pensacola on August 25, 2023.
The ship, a 7,602 gross-ton Panamanian-flagged bulk carrier, regularly transported cargo between Mexico and Pensacola.
Circumvention of Pollution Controls
Since 2021, the company has been managing the ship’s operations, including environmental compliance.
The investigation revealed that the ship’s crew had been discharging untreated oily bilge water at sea, bypassing onboard pollution control equipment.
These discharges were not recorded accurately in the ship’s oil record book, a deliberate action to hide illegal activities from authorities.
Sentencing and Compliance Measures
Following the guilty plea, the court ordered the company to pay a $1.75 million fine, undergo a four-year probation period, and establish an environmental compliance plan.
This sentencing aligns with the terms proposed by both the government and the company to prevent future violations.
International and Federal Regulations
The United States and Panama are parties to MARPOL, an international treaty governing marine pollution, which mandates that oily bilge water be treated with an oily water separator before discharge.
To enforce compliance, ships are required to maintain accurate oil record books, documenting all bilge water discharges, especially when arriving at U.S. ports.
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Source: SAFETY4SEA
