Americas News
U.S. Court Convicts Two Greek Shipping Companies and Two Engineers with Crimes Related to Oily Waste Dumping
The U.S. Department of Justice says a federal jury in Greenville, North Carolina has convicted Oceanic Illsabe Limited (Oceanic Illsabe), Oceanfleet Shipping Limited (Oceanfleet Shipping), as well as two of their employees with violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS), obstruction of justice, false statements, witness tampering, and conspiracy in relation oily waste dumping from M/V Ocean Hope into the Pacific Ocean last year.
Vessel owner Oceanic Illsabe and vessel operator Oceanfleet Shipping Limited, both of which are based out of Greece, were found to have been aware that the vessel rarely used its oil-water separator and had not offloaded oil sludge since September 2014.
As Ship & Bunker has previously reported, Rustico Ignacio and Cassius Samson - both of whom were convicted in the trial - were operating the cargo carrier M/V Ocean Hope during the time that the illegal activities occurred, with Ignacio acting as chief engineer, and Samson as second engineer.
Samson is said to have ordered crew to connect an unauthorised hose connection, known as a "magic pipe," in order to bypass pollution prevention equipment to discharge oil sludge generated by the vessel directly into the the water.
Samson was also found to have ordered crew members, several times per week, to pump oily mixtures from the vessel's bilges directly into the water - a situation which Ignacio was found to be aware.
Ignacio and Samson are also said to have falsified the vessel's oil log book in order to cover up the illegal discharge of pollution, and ordered subordinate crew members to lie to the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) upon inspection in Wilmington, North Carolina.
Further, Samson is also noted to have made several false statements to a USCG inspector regarding the bypass of the oil-water separator.
Upon sentencing, the companies could be fined up to $500,000 per count, in addition to other possible penalties, while Ignacio and Samson could face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for obstruction of justice.
In August, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Hawaii announced that South Korean bunker tanker owner Doorae Shipping Co., LTD (Doorae Shipping) had 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.
