In late January, the Greek shipping company Eurobulk pleaded guilty to illegally discharging oily bilge water from one of its vessels and was met with a massive fine and probation.
What happened?
As KRIS 6 News reported, the company admitted to violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships and falsifying records, according to U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. A U.S. District judge in Texas ordered Eurobulk to pay a $1.125 million criminal fine and serve four years' probation for violating the APPS during a port call in Corpus Christi.
"It is crucial that we strive to eliminate threats to our waters through holding overseas corporations accountable," Ganjei told gCaptain.
The case involved the Good Heart, a Liberia-flagged vessel operated by Eurobulk, from which crew members made illegal oily water discharges and gave false records to the U.S. Coast Guard to cover up their environmental crimes.
Court documents revealed that the Good Heart's former chief engineer, Christos Charitos, told crew members on at least two occasions to dump oily waste overboard from the ship's duct keel — a pipe that runs from the engine room and underneath cargo holds — without using the required oily water separator.
The Maritime Executive reported that Charitos pleaded guilty to the crimes in September and was ordered to pay a $2,000 fine and serve one year of probation. Eurobulk was also required to pay a $375,000 community service penalty to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
"This outcome directly reflects our dedication to holding those who violate laws designed to prevent pollution of the marine environment accountable," Rear Adm. David Barata, commander of the USCG's 8th District, told the news outlet.
"The Coast Guard and our partners remain resolute in our mission to protect our waters, and we encourage the public to continue reporting any suspicious activities as every report is essential in our ongoing effort to preserve the health of our marine ecosystems."
Why is the shipping company's pollution concerning?
Bilge water is wastewater that collects in the lowest compartment of a ship and contains a mixture of water, grease, oil, and other pollutants. When companies dump these chemicals into oceans, they can poison or kill marine animals, damage fragile habitats such as coral reefs and seagrass beds, reduce oxygen levels, and contaminate beaches.
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Definitely 👍 Bilge water dumping is common in the shipping industry, but the environmental damage it causes doesn't get much attention. According to Marine Defenders, commercial ships discharge up to 810,000 tons of oily bilge waste and fuel oil sludge into oceans annually. To put that in perspective, it's the equivalent of eight Exxon Valdez oil spills occurring every year.
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So, why would shipping companies knowingly harm the ocean and wildlife? As with most things, it comes down to time and money. It's cheaper and easier to dump wastewater overboard than to follow regulations for proper treatment, and ship operators may think they won't get caught.
However, these actions have huge environmental consequences and can also impact humans who visit beaches and eat fish.
What's being done to hold companies accountable?
The International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, also known as MARPOL, regulates the discharge of bilge water from ships to prevent oil pollution and requires companies to use oil filtering equipment.
Environmental nonprofits such as SkyTruth help track ocean oil pollution by employing satellite imagery and machine learning to catch polluters in the act.
Some shipping companies have started launching electric container ships and wind-powered cargo vessels to reduce pollution and operating costs, though it will take time for the industry to switch to cleaner energy sources.
We can ensure shipping companies stay on track by reporting environmentally damaging behavior and reduce pollution locally by practicing safe maintenance habits, which can save money as well.
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