The US Department of Justice (DoJ) levelled record amounts of fines on shipping firms for pollution offences in 2016.
The department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) hit the offending companies and crew with more than $363m in penalties over the year.
Individuals were also dealt a combined 32 years in prison sentences for infractions involving illicit discharge of substances in US waters.
Many of the crimes involve the use of so-called “magic pipes” to divert waste into the sea.
