Dimitrios Grifakis, 57, of Kallithea, Greece, was sentenced Friday by a district court judge in Baltimore to six months in prison, followed by two years of supervised release, for obstructing a Coast Guard inspection that took place in May 2010 aboard the Liberian-operated cargo ship Capitola at the Port of Baltimore. Grifakis was then the chief engineer of the Capitola.
In a related case, Cardiff Marine Inc., the Liberian-registered shipping company and operator of the Capitola, previously pleaded guilty to obstructing a Coast Guard examination and violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships. The company was sentenced in February to pay a $2.4 million fine, and to serve three years probation, subject to an environmental compliance plan that includes audits by an independent third-party auditor.
According to Grifakis' guilty plea and other court documents, the investigation was launched when a crewmember informed a clergy member, who was onboard the Capitola on a pastoral visit, that there had been 'monkey business in the engine room,' which involved a 'magic pipe.' The 'magic pipe' proved to be a bypass hose that allowed the dumping of waste oil overboard, circumventing pollution prevention equipment required by law. The crewmember asked the minister to alert the Coast Guard, which triggered an inspection of the Capitola.
At his plea hearing, Grifakis admitted that from about March 2009 through May 3, 2010, he repeatedly ordered his subordinates to illegally pump oil-contaminated waste directly into the ocean, most commonly through the bypass pipe. However, during the investigation, Grifakis falsely denied having ordered anyone to pump oily waste overboard and falsified documents to hide these discharges from inspectors in ports visited by the Capitola, the Justice Department said. ' Chris Dupin
