Ship Operator Fined $725K in Port of Tampa
Aksat Denizcilik Ve Ticaret A.S., a Turkish corporation that operated the commercial ship M/T Kerim, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Tampa, Fla., to two felony counts for knowingly failing to fully and accurately maintain an oil record book, which tracks pollutant discharge, the Justice Department announced. During the hearing, U.S. District Court Judge Richard A. Lazzara sentenced the company to pay a $725,000 fine and to serve three years of probation. The court also ordered the company to implement an environmental compliance plan. Federal and international law requires that all ships comply with pollution regulations requiring…
Cargo Vessel Operator Pleads Guilty
On Nov. 10, Hiong Guan Navegacion Japan Co. Ltd., operator of the commercial cargo ship Balsa 62, agreed to plead guilty in U.S. District Court in Tampa, Fla., to conspiracy and to falsifying and failing to properly maintain records meant to ensure environmental compliance, the Justice Department announced. Specifically, Hiong Guan agreed to plead guilty for falsifying the oil record book kept on board the Balsa 62. Federal and international law requires that all ships comply with pollution regulations that include the proper disposal of oily water and sludge by passing the oily water through an oily-water separator aboard the vessel or burning the sludge in the ship’s incinerator.