TAIWANESE CARRIER ENTERS PLEA IN TACOMA WASTE OIL DUMPING

TAIWANESE CARRIER ENTERS PLEA IN TACOMA WASTE OIL DUMPING    U.S. District Court Judge Jack E. Tanner has accepted the plea of Ta Tong Marine Co. Ltd. to two criminal charges relating to the falsification of records concealing the intentional dumping of waste oil into the ocean.
   Ta Tong Marine Co. Ltd. is a Taiwanese operator of a fleet of ocean-going ships.
   In a related development, the U.S. Attorney’s office also said Wang Ki, chief engineer of the “Grand Glory,” a Ta Tong Marine cargo ship, also pled guilty to a felony false statement relating to the same dumping activity.
   According to the plea agreements, Ki directed the 'Grand Glory's' engine crew to discharge more than 20 tons of oil waste, including sludge and bilge water, through a bypass hose directly overboard into the ocean.
   The engine crew also falsified a log book, “partly to prevent agencies like the Coast Guard from discovering the discharge,” the U.S. Attorney’s office said.
   Under the plea agreement, if approved by Tanner, Ta Tong would pay a $750,000 fine, implement a comprehensive environmental compliance plan, and serve four years on probation.
   Wang Ki, who cooperated with federal authorities, is scheduled to be sentenced in federal court in Tacoma on June 13. He faces a maximum statutory penalty of five years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine.