Captain Jailed & Companies Fined For Illegal Oil Dumping In New Orleans

Oil Spill — Image for representation purposes only

The captain of a Panama-flagged chemical tanker was sentenced to eight months in prison for illegally dumping oil-contaminated waste into the water.

In addition, his employers, Prive Overseas Marine and Prive Shipping Denizcilik Ticaret, were fined $2 million in federal court in New Orleans.

The case focuses on the tanker P/S Dream, which was en route to New Orleans in January 2023 when Captain Abdurrahman Korkmaz ordered the crew to throw garbage overboard.

In May, the companies pleaded guilty to conspiracy, obstructing justice, and violating the Ship Pollution Prevention Act. On September 26, the court sentenced them and ordered them to serve four years of probation.

Per the US Department of Justice, senior managers at both the companies were aware of the illegal activities. Korkmaz instructed the crew to pump oil waste from a residual tank into the ocean while cleaning the tank with soap.

Over a period of three days, the crew established a portable pump to dump the waste while falsifying the vessel’s oil record book to hide their actions.

The operation was uncovered by a courageous crew member who contacted the U.S. Coast Guard and provided video footage of the oil leak and the resulting sheen on the water.

When the tanker arrived in Louisiana, another whistleblower came forward with a recording of an officer discussing the illegal action, clearing any doubt about the unlawful conduct.

To further hide the violation, the P/S Dream’s logs were submitted to the Coast Guard as clean, removing the oil waste discharge that violated the MARPOL Treaty. However, the evidence provided by whistleblowers denied this claim.

The $2 million penalty includes $500,000 for maritime environmental initiatives in the Eastern District of Louisiana, which are managed by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

As part of their probation, Prive Shipping, based in Turkey, and Prive Overseas Marine, based in Dubai, must adhere to strict environmental rules, including regular audits and inspections.

Reference: TradeWinds

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