SEATTLE — Officials say a jury has found companies that own and operate a Greek shipping vessel and two ship engineers guilty of felonies related to dumping oily waste at sea in October 2015.
The U.S. Justice Department said ship operator Angelakos, ship owner Gallia Graeca Shipping Ltd. and engineers Konstantinos Chrysovergis and Tryfon Angelou were convicted Monday.
The defendants were convicted of 12 counts of violating the act to prevent pollution from ships, falsifying records in a federal investigation and engaging in a scheme to defraud the United States.
U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour scheduled sentencing for Sept. 16.
Court records say the cargo ship MV Gallia Graeca traveled from China to Seattle with an inoperable pollution-control device.
Documents say defendants discharged overboard about 5,000 gallons of oily bilge water, lied to U.S. Coast Guard inspectors about it and made false statements in the ship’s oil record book.
The dumping is believed to have occurred in international waters well before the cargo ship reached the United States, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Falsification of records in a federal investigation is punishable by up to 20 years in prison. The pollution law violation is punishable by up to six years’ imprisonment and scheming to defraud the U.S. is punishable by up to five years in prison.
Each count of conviction is also punishable by a $500,000 fine against each corporation and $250,000 against each individual defendant.
“The detection, investigation and prosecution of the illegal discharge of oil was truly a team effort among Coast Guard marine safety professionals and the Department of Justice prosecutors,” said Cmdr. Matt Edwards, chief of prevention at Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound.
“While the vast majority of vessel owners run a safe and environmentally conscious operation, this case demonstrates our willingness to hold people and organizations accountable for willfully violating U.S. laws and regulations.”
