U.S. indicts Indian chief engineer for illegal oily waste discharge
Mani Singh, chief engineer on the containership 'MSC Elena,' has been indicted by a grand jury in Boston on charges brought by the U.S. Justice Department relating to illegally discharging sludge and oil-contaminated waste overboard.
According to the indictment, Singh used bypass equipment known as a 'magic pipe' to circumvent required pollution prevention equipment on the vessel. The bypass equipment was discovered by the U.S. Coast Guard during an inspection of the ship in Boston Harbor May 16.
Singh, 57, is also charged with making false statements to the Coast Guard, denying knowledge about the existence and use of the bypass equipment; with obstructing justice by directing subordinates to lie to the Coast Guard; with concealing evidence, and with concealing the discharges in a falsified oil record book, a required log in which all overboard discharges must be recorded.
The Panamanian-flag 'MSC Elena,' operated by MSC Ship Management (Hong Kong) Ltd., made regular transatlantic voyages from Europe to U.S. ports, according to Michael J. Sullivan, U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts.
U.S. indicts Indian chief engineer for illegal oily waste discharge
