Americas News
V.Ships Norway Fined $2 Million for Maritime Pollution Offence
Shipping firm V.Ships Norway AS has pleaded guilty to violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships and was sentenced to pay a $2 million fine.
The company admitted oily bilge water and waste were discharged from the M/T Swift Winchester into the sea, and the discharges were omitted from the oil record book, the US Department of Justice said in a statement on its website on Wednesday.
From February to August 2022, the crew on the Swift Winchester connected a hose from the incinerator waste oil tank to the sewage holding tank.
The setup enabled oily waste to be pumped into the sewage system and released straight into the sea, bypassing mandatory pollution controls.
A junior engine crewmember alerted a V.Ships Superintendent, who confirmed oil in the sewage tank, leading to the dismissal of the chief engineer.
His replacement later instructed the crew to clean the oil water separator filter on deck, causing oily residue to be washed directly overboard.
During a subsequent inspection, Coast Guard officers in Port Arthur were given photographic and video evidence by a crewmember detailing the discharges.
“The M/T Swift Winchester entered Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on Aug. 25, 2022, and Port Arthur, Texas, on Sept. 7, 2022, with a knowingly falsified Oil Record Book,” the department said.
“When a foreign ship operated by a foreign company discharges polluting wastes, it threatens waters that are vital to the United States and the state of Texas," Jay R. Combs, Acting US Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas, said.
"We will hold those responsible for polluting the Gulf of America accountable.”
