Marine Link
Thursday, March 28, 2024
SUBSCRIBE

Department Of Justice News

15 Feb 2024

Iran Will Reciprocate If Its Ships Are Seized, Official Says

© AUUSanAKUL+ / Adobe Stock

Iran will reciprocate if its ships are seized, the legal adviser to Iran's President told state media on Thursday, in response to a statement by the United States Department of Justice.This month, the Department of Justice issued a statement announcing the seizure of more than 500,000 barrels of Iranian fuel to clamp down on the "Revolutionary Guards' financing network"."If an Iranian ship is seized, we will reciprocate and the legal way is not closed in this regard," legal adviser Mohammad Dehghan said, adding that he was not able to confirm whether U.S.

11 Sep 2023

Littoral Combat Ship USS Milwaukee Decommissioned

USS Milwaukee (LCS 5) (Photo: U.S. Navy)

The Freedom-variant littoral combat ship (LCS) USS Milwaukee (LCS 5) has been decommissioned after less than eight years of naval service.The U.S. Navy has been scrapping its fleet of littoral combat ships—including both its Freedom and Independence variants. The latest to get the axe, USS Milwaukee, was decommissioned in Mayport, Fla. on September 8.During the ceremony guest speaker, Vice Adm. Dirk Debbink (USN, Ret), former chairman of Milwaukee’s commissioning committee wished…

08 Sep 2023

US Says it Disrupts Illicit Oil Shipment by Iran's IRGC

For illustration only. © moofushi / Adobe Stock

The U.S. on Friday divulged it disrupted in April a multimillion-dollar shipment of crude oil by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, seizing more than 980,000 barrels of contraband crude oil that violated U.S. sanctions.In April, Reuters reported that the U.S. confiscated cargo onboard tanker Suez Rajan, which was carrying Iranian oil at sea. The U.S. statement on Friday confirmed and fleshed out details of the story which cited sources.The "illicit sale and transport of Iranian oil" violated sanctions targeting Iran, the U.S.

07 Sep 2023

Four Former US Navy Officers Cleared in Fat Leonard Case Due to Prosecutor Misconduct

© de Art / Adobe Stock

Four former U.S. Navy officers charged in a massive bribery scandal linked to the man known as Fat Leonard were cleared of felony charges on Wednesday by a judge citing prosecutor misconduct.U.S. District Judge Janis Sammartino said in a sentencing hearing that prosecutors' conduct "can only be described as outrageous," the San Diego Union-Tribune reported from the courthouse. After the felony charges were cleared, the four former officers each pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor with only a $100 fine as punishment…

20 Aug 2023

Iranian Oil Cargo Being Unloaded After Long Delay

A cargo of Iranian crude oil that was seized by the United States was unloading on Sunday after waiting two-and-a-half months off the coast of Texas to discharge, ship tracking data showed.Suez Rajan, a Marshall Islands-flagged tanker, has been anchored off Galveston, about 50 miles (80 km) outside of Houston, since May 30, unable to unload because commercial agents fear any vessel that takes it will be shunned by customers.But on Sunday, the Liberia-flagged tanker MR Euphrates was lined up next to Suez Rajan to perform a ship-to-ship transfer and remove the crude oil, according to ship tracking data on Refinitiv Eikon.The U.S. Department of Justice…

17 Aug 2023

Fish Factory Vessel Leaking Ammonia in Tacoma

(Photo: U.S. Coast Guard)

A 77-year-old fish factory vessel with a checkered history is reportedly leaking ammonia in Tacoma, Wash.The U.S. Coast Guard said on Wednesday it is responding to the incident on board the U.S.-registered Pacific Producer, a 169-foot-long seafood processing vessel with a long string of health, safety and labor violations.Coast Guard and Washington Department of Ecology crews in HAZMAT suits are currently working to locate leak. The vessel poses no immediate threat to the public…

25 Jul 2023

Iranian Oil Remains Stuck Off US Coast

A cargo of sanctioned Iranian crude oil that was confiscated by the U.S. has sat off the Texas coast for eight weeks, unable to unload because commercial agents fear any vessel that takes it will be shunned by customers, people familiar with the matter said.Suez Rajan, a Marshall Islands-flagged tanker, has been anchored off Galveston, about 50 miles (80 km) outside of Houston, since May 30, with ship agents refusing to accept it. The Suezmax requires a lightering agent to transfer the crude to smaller ships, as its size and weight restrict it from directly entering the port.Shipping companies are worried that lightering the Iranian crude onto their vessels would lead other oil buyers to shun their ships on future voyages…

11 Jul 2023

US Court Revives Lawsuit Against Royal Caribbean Over Toddler's Death

© JULOR / Adobe Stock

A federal appeals court on Tuesday revived a lawsuit against Royal Caribbean Cruises by the parents of an 18-month-old girl who died after slipping through her grandfather’s hands and falling through an open cruise ship window.The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta restored two negligence claims over the July 2019 death of Chloe Wiegand, who had been in a children’s play area aboard the ship Freedom of the Seas, which was docked in San Juan, Puerto Rico.Her grandfather Salvatore Anello testified that he picked Chloe up and put her feet on the windowsill…

10 Jul 2023

Clipper Shipping Convicted of Dumping Violations in the US

Norwegian shipping company Clipper Shipping A.S. has been convicted of violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships after admitting that oily bilge water was discharged from the motor tanker Clipper Saturn. As part of the plea, they acknowledged the discharges were omitted from the Oil Record Book. Immediately after the plea entered July 6, U.S. District Judge Alfred Bennett ordered the company to pay a $1.5 million fine.On Sept. 27 and Oct. 1, 2021, the Clipper Saturn was anchored near Lome, Togo. The chief engineer at the time directed oily bilge water to be transferred into the vessel’s gray water tank and then discharged directly overboard under the cover of darkness.

07 Jul 2023

Inside the Subsea Cable Firm Secretly Helping America Take on China

On Feb. 10 last year, the cable ship CS Dependable appeared off the coast of the island of Diego Garcia, an Indian Ocean atoll that’s home to a discreet U.S. naval base.Over the next month, the ship’s crew covertly laid an underwater fiber-optic cable to the military base, an operation code-named “Big Wave,” according to four people with direct knowledge of the mission, as well as a Reuters analysis of satellite imagery and ship tracking data.The new super-fast internet link to Diego Garcia, which has not previously been reported, will boost U.S. military readiness in the Indian Ocean, a region where China has expanded its naval influence over the last decade.The CS Dependable is owned by SubCom…

07 Jul 2023

Dumont Takes the Helm at Cal Maritime

Michael J. Dumont (Photo: California State University (CSU) Maritime Academy)

Michael J. Dumont started his tenure as interim president of California State University (CSU) Maritime Academy.Aside from service as a reserve military officer, Dumont was a senior executive in several agencies of the Federal government. Earlier in his career he was a litigation attorney with a private law firm representing aviation and maritime businesses, municipal governments, and institutions of higher education. He later served with the U.S. Department of Justice where he handled aviation and admiralty litigation before leading major white-collar criminal investigations.

28 Apr 2023

US Confiscates Iran Oil Cargo on Tanker Amid Tehran Tensions

The U.S. confiscated Iranian oil on a tanker at sea in recent days in a sanctions enforcement operation, three sources said, and days later Iran seized another oil-laden tanker in retaliation, according to a maritime security firm.As oil markets remain jittery, the cargo seizure is the latest escalation between Washington and Tehran after years of sanctions pressure by the U.S. over Iran's nuclear program. Iran does not recognise the sanctions, and its oil exports have been rising.Tehran says its nuclear program is for civilian purposes while Washington suspects Iran wants to develop a nuclear bomb.Maritime security company Ambrey said the U.S. confiscation took place at least five days before Iran's action on Thursday.

06 Apr 2023

Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding Executive Suspended Over Criminal Fraud Allegations

Craig Perciavalle (Photo: Fincantieri Marine Group)

Fincantieri Marine Group announced on Thursday that it has suspended the general manager of its Bay Shipbuilding shipyard in Sturgeon Bay, Wis. over recent criminal fraud charges.The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) recently charged Craig Perciavalle and two other former Austal USA employees for "allegedly making or causing to be made false and misleading statements about Austal USA's performance and financial condition between 2012 and 2016", according to Austal USA, a subsidiary of Australian shipbuilding group Austal. The U.S.

03 Apr 2023

Shipbuilder Austal Sinks on Former U.S. Executives' Indictment for Financial Fraud

Credit: Naval Surface Warriors ©CC BY-SA 2.0

Australian shipbuilder Austal Ltd sank as much as 8.4% to its lowest level in more than four years on Monday after the United States Department of Justice indicted three of its former U.S. employees on manipulating financial information. Austal, which builds ships for the U.S. Navy and is working on parts of the Virginia class submarines, plunged to its lowest level since October 25, 2018, and marked its worst intraday drop since January 17. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)…

31 Oct 2022

US Charges former Boxer Over $1 Billion Containership Cocaine Seizure

Photo of MCS Gayane moored in Philadelphia after U.S. Customs and Border Protection's record cocaine seizure in 2019. (Photo: U.S. Customs and Border Protection)

A former heavyweight boxer from Montenegro was charged by the U.S. Department of Justice on Monday with trafficking in 22 tons of cocaine worth over $1 billion, most of which was part of one of the largest cocaine seizures in American history.Goran Gogic, 43, was arrested on Sunday night while trying to board a flight to Zurich from Miami International Airport, after being indicted by a grand jury in New York.Prosecutors charged Gogic with three counts of violating the federal Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act, and one count of conspiracy.

25 Oct 2022

Idled St. Croix Refinery Risks Explosion, 'Catastrophic' Releases

Creative Commons CC-BY-SA-2.5

Equipment corrosion at an oil refinery in the U.S. Virgin Islands presents a risk of fire, explosion or other "catastrophic" releases of hazardous substances, U.S. environmental regulators said on Tuesday, after performing an inspection last month.The idled St. Croix refinery, formerly called Limetree Bay, was shut down by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in May 2021 after a series of chemical releases into the environment sickened neighboring residents. The refinery was sold in December 2021 for $62 million to West Indies Petroleum and Port Hamilton Refining and Transportation…

05 Sep 2022

Judge Throws out Indictment of Captain in 2019 Fatal Dive Boat Fire

(Photo: Department of Homeland Security)

A federal judge in Los Angeles on Friday dismissed the criminal indictment against a dive boat captain charged with manslaughter in the deaths of 34 people when the vessel caught fire and sank off the California coast three years ago.The 75-foot (23-meter) Conception caught fire while most of those onboard were sleeping, killing 33 passengers and a crew member. It is considered one of California’s worst maritime disasters.U.S. District Judge George Wu said in a ruling that the indictment…

17 Aug 2022

Seven Charged with Labor Racketeering in the Port of San Juan

© soultkd / Adobe Stock

On August 11, 2022, a federal grand jury in the District of Puerto Rico returned an indictment charging seven defendants with running a criminal enterprise dedicated to extorting and misleading shipping companies into paying fees for the loading and unloading of cargo at the Port of San Juan—Piers 9, 10, and 11—under the threat of strikes and blockades on the part of union members of the ILA-1740 of the International Longshoremen’s Association, AFL-CIO (ILA) and under false representations…

12 Aug 2022

Bulk Carrier Operator and Chief Engineer Convicted for Dumping Offenses

Vessel operating company New Trade Ship Management S.A. and chief engineer Dennis Plasabas pleaded guilty in San Diego for maintaining false and incomplete records relating to the discharge of oily bilge water from the bulk carrier vessel Longshore.New Trade and Plasabas admitted that oily bilge water was illegally dumped from the Longshore directly into the ocean without being properly processed through required pollution prevention equipment. Oily bilge water typically contains oil contamination from the operation and cleaning of machinery on the vessel. The defendants also admitted that these illegal discharges were not recorded in the vessel’s oil record book as required by law.

16 Jun 2022

Tanker Owner Owes $44.6 Million Over Fatal US Warship Collision

Significant visible damage to the hull of Guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain (DDG 56) following a collision with the tanker Alnic MC while in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore on August 21, 2017. (Photo: Joshua Fulton / U.S. Navy)

A U.S. judge on Wednesday said the owner of an oil tanker must pay the United States $44.6 million over its role in a 2017 collision between the tanker with a U.S. Navy destroyer in southeast Asia that killed 10 sailors and injured dozens more.U.S. District Judge Paul Crotty in Manhattan found Energetic Tank Inc 20% responsible and the United States 80% responsible for the Aug. 21, 2017, collision between the 39,000 metric ton Alnic MCtanker and the USS John S. McCain.Both vessels had been cruising alongside each other when the McCain…

27 May 2022

Iran Says It Seized Two Greek Tankers

Iranian forces seized two Greek tankers in the Gulf on Friday, Iranian state media reported, shortly after Tehran warned it would take "punitive action" against Athens over the confiscation of Iranian oil by the United States from a tanker held off the Greek coast."The Revolutionary Guards Navy today seized two Greek tankers for violations in Gulf waters," said a Guards statement, quoted by the state news agency IRNA.It gave no further details or say what the alleged violations were.Greek authorities last month impounded the Iranian-flagged Pegas, with 19 Russian crew members on board, near the coast of the southern island of Evia due to EU sanctions.The United States later confiscated the Iranian oil cargo held onboard and plans to send it to the United States on another vessel…

26 May 2022

US Seizes Iranian Oil Cargo Near Greek Island

Illustration only - Credit:Vladimir/AdobeStock

The United States has confiscated an Iranian oil cargo held on a Russian-operated ship near Greece and will send the cargo to the United States aboard another vessel, three sources familiar with the matter said.Greek authorities last month impounded the Iranian-flagged Pegas, with 19 Russian crew members on board, near the coast of the southern island of Evia due to EU sanctions.They said the ship was impounded as part of EU sanctions on Russia for the invasion of Ukraine. However…

31 Oct 2022

Maritime Antitrust Immunity in Crosshairs

© Brad Nixon / Adobe Stock

While those in the Beltway continue to struggle to offer solutions to U.S. supply chain capacity issues, it seems apparent that policymakers have at least found their scapegoat for these issues in the form of the maritime industry. A specific talking point during the State of Union Address, a White House-endorsed agreement between the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) and Department of Justice (DOJ), multiple pieces of legislation, and a vigorous hearing before the Senate Committee on Commerce…