A shipping company has pleaded guilty for dumping oily waste into the Gulf of America, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
As stated, V.Ships Norway A.S. (V.SHIPS) pleaded guilty today to violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships and was sentenced to pay a $2 million fine.
V.Ships admitted that oily bilge water and oily waste was discharged from the Motor Tanker Swift Winchester (M/T Swift Winchester) and the discharges were omitted from the Oil Record Book.
Between February 2022 and August 2022, a hose was connected between the incinerator waste oil tank and the sewage holding tank on the M/T Swift Winchester. This allowed oily waste to transfer into the sewage holding tank and then to be discharged directly into the sea, bypassing required pollution prevention equipment. A low-ranking engine crewmember reported this to a Superintendent at V.Ships.
The Superintendent investigated the matter and discovered what appeared to be oil in the sewage tank. V.Ships dismissed the Chief Engineer. In August 2022, the new Chief Engineer ordered the engine crew to clean the Oil Water Separator (OWS) filter. The engine crew took the filter onto the deck and hosed it down with a degreaser and the oily waste washed directly overboard through a scupper.
Coast Guard members from U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Port Arthur conducted an examination, during which an engine room crewmember disclosed the discharges and provided photographic and video evidence documenting the illegal 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.
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"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. We will hold those responsible for polluting the Gulf of America accountable."
…said Acting U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs for the Eastern District of Texas.
