M/TZao Galaxy Photo: MarineTraffic.com/ ML Jacobs

The UNITED STATE Justice Department has actually billed 2 international delivery firms and also an initial aide designer pertaining to the claimed unlawful discarding oily bilge water from a vessel near San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge.

A government grand court in Oakland arraigned Marshall Islands- based FGL Moon Marshall Limited, Singapore- based Unix Line, and also designer Gilbert Dela Cruz, billing the offenders with falling short to keep an Oil Record Book and also with blockage of justice.

The charge and also an earlier-filed criminal affirm that Dela Cruz purchased staff participants of the Zao Galaxy, a 16,408 gross-ton vessel had by FGL Moon and also run by Unix Line, to unlawfully dispose oily bilge water over the top from the vessel on at the very least 4 events throughout a trip from the Philippines to Richland, California, in late January to very early February 2019. The charge affirms video clip proof of the criminal activities.

Based on AIS information, among the discarding occurrences took place when the Zao Galaxy was about 3 maritime miles west of the Golden Gate Bridge, according to the sworn statement.

According to the charge, Dela Cruz, 37, was the First Assistant Engineer on the Zao Galaxy and also was accountable for making access right into the ship’s Oil Record Book, which had no access recording the unlawful discharges of oily waste. The charge better affirms that Dela Cruz tried to encourage a lower-level crewmember to keep pertinent details pertaining to the discarding from the united state Coast Guard.

If founded guilty, Dela Cruz can confront thirty-one years behind bars and also penalties as much as $750,000. FGL Moon and also Unix Line are face criminal penalties as much as $1.5 million each.