The shipping company, Zeaborn Ship Management, has pleaded guilty to charges of deliberately discharging untreated oily bilge into the ocean and falsifying record books to conceal their actions. Additionally, the company has agreed to pay a fine of $2 million and be subject to a 4-year probation period. These charges stem from incidents last year involving the freighter “STAR MAIA.”
According to prosecutors, the chief engineer of the STAR MAIA confessed to purposefully releasing over 7,500 gallons of untreated oily bilge into the ocean without passing it through the required oil-water separator. Unfortunately, this practice is all too common despite being prohibited by international treaties and US federal law. The chief engineer also acknowledged entering false information into the ship’s oil record book.
In the United States, altering an oil record book constitutes a felony offense. Additionally, the chief engineer admitted to the unconventional practice of burning mixed waste in empty barrels on deck, including paper, plastic, and oily rags, before discarding them overboard. The ship’s garbage record book did not document these unorthodox disposal methods.
The Star Maia’s captain, “Alexander Parreno,” and its chief engineer, “Constancio Estuye,” pleaded guilty to separate felony violations. Parreno’s charge pertains to the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships due to failure to maintain an accurate garbage record book. In contrast, Estuye’s charge is related to not properly maintaining the oil record book. Sentencing for these individuals is scheduled for December 1st.
The ship’s operator, Zeaborn, pleaded guilty to two analogous felony charges and has been ordered to pay a fine of $2 million. In addition, the company has agreed to a $1.5 million fine and a $500,000 payment toward community service. Furthermore, Zeaborn will undergo a four-year probation period with heightened oversight concerning environmental compliance for its US port activities.
The opinions expressed herein are the author’s and not necessarily those of News2Sea.
#Zeaborn #Ship #Management #Admits #MARPOL #Violation #Faces #Fines #Probation