A subsidiary of Greek shipowner Navios Maritime Holdings has been fined $2m in the US for illegal discharge of oily waste.
Footage released by the US Department of Justice (DoJ) shows oily water being released into the sea from the 75,000-dwt Nave Cielo (built 2007).
The DoJ said Navimax Corporation, incorporated in the Marshall Islands with its main offices in Greece, was sentenced by a federal district court for violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships and obstructing a Coast Guard investigation.
Navimax was also put on four-year probation.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Navimax operated the vessel. The ship is listed in the fleet of Navios Acquisition on its website and in the fleet of Navios Tankers Management on that website.
Equasis lists it as owned by Ios Shipping Corp.
Navios told TradeWinds that Navimax provides commercial operation and efficiency oversight to certain vessels in the group.
Navimax had pleaded guilty to acts or omissions of the crew.
"At no relevant time did Navimax know of or direct, authorise or condone the non-compliant conduct of the crew," it said.
And it added that the DoJ never suggested the company had actual knowledge of the underlying issue.
Existing policies required crew to record and report such incidents immediately without any fear of retaliation from the crew, the employer or onboard supervisors, it said.
"However, in this instance, the master and chief officer failed to maintain accurate vessel records and it is for these acts that Navimax assumed responsibility," it said.
"Importantly, neither the owner nor its management company has been held accountable because it was not an intentional wrongdoing and because there was strong evidence that both were already implementing robust environmental and compliance procedures."
Video footage handed over
The DoJ said that prior to a formal inspection on 7 December, the US Coast Guard (USCG) boarded the vessel near Delaware City.
A crewmember gave the officers a thumb drive containing two videos, depicting a high-volume discharge of dark brown and black oil waste from a five-inch pipe, located 15 feet above water level.
Subsequent investigation during a more comprehensive inspection disclosed that the approximately 10-minute discharge occurred on 2 November in international waters, after the ship left New Orleans en route to Belgium.
Crew presented the ship’s oil record book, which did not record this discharge.
US Attorney for the district of Delaware, David Weiss, said: "The conviction and criminal fine, reinforced by a four-year term of probation, during which the defendant’s fleet of ships will be monitored, ensures that defendant is held accountable.
"The message to the shipping industry is clear: environmental crimes at sea will not be tolerated.”
