A cargo ship has been banned from US waters for five years and its German owner fined $1.5m for water pollution.
Owners of the BBC Magellan (6,300 dwt, built 2010) admitted using a bypass hose to illegally dump oily water into the Gulf of Mexico off Florida, falsifying their record books and tampering with witnesses who spoke to the US Coast Guard in the case.
The incidents occurred between January and March of 2015.
The financial penalty comprises a fine of $1.25m and a $250,000 community service payment to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
The Justice Department announced the sentences after the company – Briese Schiffahrts – pled guilty.
