According to filings from the US Department of Justice Environment and Natural Resources Division, the US Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida and the US Coast Guard, the 1999-built 17,779 dwt LPG carrier‘Marigola’ called at Tampa on three occasions in 2013 and 2014 with a falsified oil record book.
Under the terms of its plea agreement, Carbofin agreed to pay a $2.75 mill criminal penalty, $600,000 of which will be designated as community service and used to support the protection and preservation of natural resources located in and adjacent to the Florida National Keys Marine Sanctuary.
Alessandro Messore, who served as the second engineer on board the ‘Marigola’, pleaded guilty to one count of violating the act. A second officer, Carmelo Giano, who served as the ship’s Chief Engineer and was the person responsible for maintaining the ship’s oil record book, was expected to enter a plea to one count of violating the act today (Friday).
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court, the investigation began on 16th April, 2014, when the vessel called at Tampa to discharge its cargo.
USCG inspectors boarded the ship to conduct a Port State Control examination. During that examination, two crew members approached the inspectors and provided them with a cell phone video that showed a black hose connected between two points in the engine room.
After reviewing the video and speaking with the seafarers, the inspectors were able to determine that the hose had been used on multiple occasions to discharge sludge, waste oil and machinery space bilge water directly into the sea, bypassing the ship’s required pollution prevention equipment.
The crew members told the inspectors that Giano has directed them on at least two occasions to discharge sludge, waste oil and bilge water directly into the sea, while in international waters. None of the hose discharges were recorded as required in the ship’s official oil record book maintained by Giano, thereby giving the false and misleading impression that all of the ship’s sludge, waste oil and machinery space bilge water were being properly treated and disposed of.
It was also revealed that Messore, at the direction of Giano, had on several occasions ordered the ship’s engineering cadet to hook up the hose and then personally discharged discharge sludge, waste oil and machinery space bilge water directly into the sea, under the cover of darkness, while the vessel was in international waters.