Owner, operator and engineers convicted over bulker’s dumping of oily waste

The owner and the operator of a Greek bulk carrier have been convicted in US District Court in Seattle of dumping oily waste at sea.

Two engineers from the offending vessel, the 2001-built Gallia Graeca, were also convicted of violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships, of falsifying records in a federal investigation and of engaging in a scheme to defraud the US government.

In all, the guilty parties were convicted on 12 felony counts after jury deliberations lasting three days.

The offences happened on three occasions in October 2015 when the Gallia Graeca was travelling from China to Seattle. With the vessel’s oil water separator not working, the engineers by passed the device and discharged approximately 5,000 gallons of oily bilge into the sea.

They then attempted to cover their tracks by doctoring the ship’s oil record book and lying to US Coast Guard port state control inspectors.

Ship operator, Angelakos Hellas S.A., and owner, Gallia Graeca Shipping, were the guilty businesses. The shipping firms advised the engineers on how to tamper with the records.

The most serious offence, falsifying records in a federal investigation, carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

Financial penalties start at $500,000 per offence for the corporate defendants and $250,000 per offence for the individuals.