Ocean Sentry
(From independent.com.mt) – A Maltese shipping company, a Greek ship operator and an engineer pleaded not guilty in a federal court in San Francisco last week to charges of illegally dumping oil sludge and acid into the ocean and lying about it in the ship’s records.
The defendants are accused of using a bypass pipe known as a “magic pipe”, as well as two large plastic barrels, to dump oil-contaminated bilge waste and hydrochloric acid directly into the ocean. According to the indictment, the acid had been used to clean the deck and cargo hold of the residue from a shipment of powdered cement delivered to Hawaii in May.
The charges include conspiracy, violation of a US pollution law that is based on an international ocean treaty and false statements in the oil and refuse disposal records submitted to the Coast Guard.
The charges against Thomas carry maximum penalties of five to 20 years each, but the actual penalty, should Thomas be convicted, would be determined after consideration of federal sentencing guidelines. The two corporations face fines of up to $500,000 on each count, if convicted.
