Norwegian shipping line DSD Shipping – full name Det Stavangerske Dampskibsselskab AS – and three of the company’s employees were convicted in a US court of dumping waste oil and contaminated waste water in the Gulf of Mexico in early 2010.
A federal court in Mobil, Alabama, found the parties in violation of the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships for knowingly using an inoperable oily-water separator (equipment which, when working properly, prevents the discharge of waste materials) on board the vessel Stavanger Blossom. They also failed to log the discharge in an oil record book as required.
. They also failed to log the discharge in an oil record book as required.The trial also showed that several DSD Shipping employees intentionally discharged fuel oil sludge directly into the ocean in as many as 100 plastic garbage bags. These actions were also covered up by false entries in the record books.
DSD Shipping was convicted of one count of conspiracy, three counts of violating APPS, three counts of obstruction of justice and one count of witness tampering.
The firm faces a possible fine of up to $500,000 per count, in addition to other possible penalties. The individual crewmen face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for the obstruction of justice charges.
