Americas News
Tanker Manager, Owner Charged in U.S. in Relation to Oily Waste Dumping
The U.S. Department of Justice Friday announced that Aegean Shipping Management S.A. (Aegean Shipping) and Aegeansun Gamma Inc. (Aegeansun) have been charged in Charleston, South Carolina with obstruction of an agency proceeding, conspiracy, and failing to keep accurate pollution control records related to the attempted cover up of the illegal discharge of oily mixtures and machinery space bilge water from the T/V Green Sky in 2015.
Three officers, including former Chief Engineers on the Liberian-flagged chemical tanker, Panagiotis Koutoukakis and Herbert Julian, and Nikolaos Bounovas, former Second Engineer on the vessel, have also been charged with aiding and abetting the failure to maintain an accurate oil record book, falsification of federal records, and conspiracy.
Julian is further noted have been indicted on an additional obstruction charge in relation to dumping from the T/V Green Sky.
The investigation into activity onboard the T/V Green Sky is said to have begun in late August 2015 upon the vessel's arrival in the Port of North Charleston, when members of the ship's engine room staff told the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) that they had been told to bypass the vessel's oil water separator on multiple occasions.
The Department of Justice says the defendants are slated to be arraigned in Charleston on July 26.
A related case is noted to have seen the former captain of the T/V Green Sky, Genaro Anciano, plead guilty to one count of obstruction on February 18 for knowingly making false and misleading oral and written statements in order to cover up the bypass allegations.
In June, it was reported that the U.S. District Court in Seattle had found ship operator Angelakos Hellas S.A., ship owner, Gallia Graeca Shipping LTD, chief engineer, Konstantinos Chrysovergis, and second engineer, Tryfon Angelou guilty on 12 felony counts related to the falsification of vessel logs and dumping of oily waste at sea from bulk carrier Gallia Graeca.
