Americas News
Doorae Shipping Fined in U.S. for Pollution Crimes, Second Time Since April
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Hawaii Tuesday announced that South Korean bunker tanker owner Doorae Shipping Co., LTD (Doorae Shipping) has been fined $275,000, and given a three year term of probation for failing to maintain an accurate oil record book in relation to the operation of tanker B. Pacific.
The fine is the second such penalty that Doorae Shipping has received in the U.S. since April, when the company pleaded guilty to failing to maintain an accurate oil record book and making false statements to the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) in relation to the discharge of oil contaminated bilge water from the vessel B. Sky.
In the most recent case, court documents show that during USCG inspection between July 8, 2016 and July 14, 2016, employees of Doorae Shipping knowingly provided an Oil Record Book that failed to document or acknowledge approximately 5,400 gallons of oil contaminated bilge water that had been placed into an unapproved void space.
Further, the Oil Record Book is noted to have failed to document the location of an estimated 8,400 gallons of machinery space oil contaminated bilge water.
"It is unacceptable for a maritime company which was convicted and sentenced to pay $950,000 in fines and penalties four months ago for violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships to commit another criminal violation of the Act," said Florence T. Nakakuni, U.S. Attorney for the District of Hawaii.
"This failure to properly follow the law with respect to maintaining an accurate and truthful Oil Record Book requires another conviction and sentence commensurate with Doorae's conduct."
In July, Germany's MST Mineralien Schiffahrt Spedition und Transport GmbH (MST), which operates M/V Cornelia, was fined $1 million in the U.S. for failing to maintain accurate ship records on the disposal of oil-contaminated waste and with presenting falsified records to USCG.
