Shipowner, officer convicted of illegal discharges

Sea World Management & Trading and Edmon Fajardo were convicted Monday of maintaining false and incomplete records related to oil and garbage discharges from a tanker that was operating off the Texas coast near Corpus Christi in early 2017.    The U.S. Justice Department said Sea World Management & Trading and Edmon Fajardo were convicted Monday of maintaining false and incomplete records related to oil and garbage discharges from the oil tanker, Sea Faith, that was operating off the Texas coast near Corpus Christi in early 2017.
   Specifically, the company and Fajardo pleaded guilty to violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships and to not accurately maintaining the Sea Faith’s oil and garbage record books.
   During March 10-18, 2017, Fajardo ordered the crew to illegally discharge oily waste from various locations of the vessel’s cargo deck spaces, as well as throw plastics, empty steel drums, oily rags, batteries and empty paint cans directly overboard into the ocean, the Justice Department said.
   Sea World will now pay a $2.25 million fine and serve a three-year probationary period during which all vessels operated by the company and calling U.S. ports will be required to implement an environmental compliance plan.
   Fajardo was sentenced to six months in jail, followed by two years of supervised release and a $2,000 fine.