Lisbon, Portugal, based Portline Bulk International S.A.yesterday begged guilty in government court in Charleston, South Carolina, to one matter of breaking the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships and also one matter of blockage of justice.
The fees come from the falsification of the Oil Record Book onboard the M/V Achilleus, a Maltese- flagged ocean-going mass service provider handled by Portline.
According to court files, Portline has actually consented to pay a criminal penalty of $1.5 million when the business is punished at a future day. The business would certainly likewise be positioned on business probation for 4 years, that includes an ecological conformity strategy.
From April 2017 to August 2018, states the united state Department of Justice, elderly participants of the vessel’s design group look after and also took part in the bypass of the ship’s Oil Water Separator making use of a yellow plastic pipe, described as a magic pipeline.
The ship’s Chief Engineer made a collection of phony entrances and also crucial noninclusions in the Oil Record Book in order to hide the prohibited over the top discharges of oily bilge water.On Aug 14, 2018, the incorrect Oil Record Book existed to the united state Coast Guard (USCG) throughout an assessment in the Port of Charleston.
On June 17, 2019, the ship’s previous Chief Engineer Anatoli Zotsenko and also Second Engineer Valerii Pastushenko, that had actually formerly begged guilty to one matter of breaking the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships, were punished to penalties amounting to $12,500 and also 3 years’ probation. The probation term consists of an unique problem that prohibits Zotsenko and also Pastushenko from getting in ports and also anchorages of the United States.
“Our team of dedicated marine safety and pollution response professionals worked closely with the Coast Guard Investigative Service to investigate this incident and refer it for enforcement action,” claimed Captain John Reed, Commander, UNITED STATECoast Guard Sector Charleston “This case highlights the Coast Guard’s unwavering commitment to the stewardship of the ocean and its critical marine environment.”
The Justice Department states that the USCG Marine Safety Lab was important to the evaluation of oil examples drawn from the vessel.
