Two Greek shipping firms fined for pollution

The U.S. Justice Department said two shipping companies were ordered to pay a combined $2.7 million for illegally dumping oily wastes into the ocean.    The U.S. Justice Department on Thursday said two Greek Shipping companies were ordered to pay a combined $2.7 million for illegally dumping oily wastes into the ocean.
   Specifically, the companies were charged with violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS), tampering with witnesses and conspiracy.
   The case started with an inspection of the cargo vessel Ocean Hope by the Coast Guard at the Port of Wilmington, N.C. in July 2015. During that inspection, it was discovered that senior engineers for the companies attempted to hide that the vessel had been dumping oily wastes into the ocean for months, the Justice Department said.
   Oceanfleet Shipping Ltd., the vessel’s operator, was sentenced to pay a $1.35 million fine and make a $450,000 community service payment to Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary. Oceanic Illsabe Ltd., the vessel’s corporate owner, was sentenced to pay a $675,000 fine and make a $225,000 community service payment to the reef. The Justice Department said both companies were placed on a five-year term of probation and barred from sending ships to U.S. ports until their financial penalties has been satisfied.
   Though managed from Greece, Oceanic Illsabe is registered in Liberia and had no significant assets besides the Ocean Hope, which was sold for scrap shortly after the indictment of this case.
   “Oceanic and Oceanfleet are believed to be closely affiliated companies controlled by the same corporate principles out of Athens, Greece,” the Justice Department said. “During the period when the Ocean Hope was dumping oil into the ocean, Oceanfleet managed between 10 and 11 vessels.”
   The vessel’s two senior engineers were previously convicted and sentenced to serve prison sentences related to these crimes.