Water-Polluting Cargo Ship Operator Sunk

A cargo ship operator accused of illegally dumping oil and other harmful waste overboard has pleaded guilty to failing to maintain a record book and making a false statement to the U.S. Coast Guard in an Oakland courtroom.
     
A federal judge fined Greece-based Transmar Shipping Co., S.A. $750,000 after the company entered the plea on Friday.

The ship's chief engineer, Dimitrios Dimitrakis, also pleaded guilty to failing to maintain an accurate record book. The second engineer, Volodymyr Dombrovskyy, pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting that failure.

Dombrovskyy was sentenced to probation. Dimitrakis is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 3.

During an inspection in Oakland in February, Coast Guard officials say they found the ship had been bypassing pollution control equipment and dumping oil waste overboard.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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