Norwegian Ship Captain Sentenced for Oil Spill

The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas issued a Press Release stating that a Norwegian ship captain was convicted of a Clean Water Act violation and sentenced to a $5,000 fine. The captain was found to have failed to properly supervise his crew during a November 2001 voyage from Houston to New Orleans. During the voyage, one crewman mistakenly pumped a tank containing 940 barrels of oil into U.S. waters of the Gulf of Mexico. The vessel owner, which previously had an exemplary environmental record, was not prosecuted, but agreed to make a contribution of $60,000 to a marine environmental advocacy group. Source: HK Law