A ship operator was fined $1m on Tuesday after pleading guilty to conspiring to cover up how one of its vessels illegally dumped waste water in the Great Lakes, according to the Associated Press.
German company MST Mineralien Schiffahrt admitted to a US District Court in Minneapolis that some of its crew on the Cornelia dumped oil-contaminated water overboard at least 10 times between February and October 2015. Crew also tried to falsify data about the illicit discharges. The offences were violations of the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships.
dumped oil-contaminated water overboard at least 10 times between February and October 2015. Crew also tried to falsify data about the illicit discharges. The offences were violations of the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships.The fine comprises an $800,000 penalty from the US government and $200,000 community service payment to help preserve the watershed of Lake Superior.
The Cornelia was detained for about a month late last year outside the Lake Superior port of Duluth, Minnesota, while US Coast Guard (USCG) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) investigated the case.
