Americas News
Cargo Ship Chief Engineer Gets 8 Months Jail Time in Marine Pollution Case
The former chief engineer of the cargo ship M/V Selene Leader has been sentenced to eight months in prison for obstruction of justice and violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships after being accused of illegally dumping oily waste into the ocean and attempting to cover it up, the U.S. Department of Justice has announced.
Noly Torato Vidad was originally arrested early in 2014 after having allegedly supervised crew members as they illegally dumped waste overboard without first passing it through an oil water separator.
According to plea and court documents, Vidad, along with the first engineer aboard the ship, encouraged crew to lie to Coast Guard officials in addition to falsifying oil record books.
Japan-based Hachiuma Steamship Co Ltd, the operator of the ship, has already paid a $1.8 million penalty, $450,000 of which went to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
Another $250,000 was also paid out to the whistleblower aboard the M/V Selene Leader who alerted officials.
Vidad's prison sentence will be followed by one year of supervised release.
It was reported last November that Vidad had pled guilty to charges of obstruction of justice and violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS).
