Greek shipping company Eurobulk has pleaded guilty to a two-count information charging the company with violating the US Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS) and obstruction of justice, the US Department of Justice has confirmed.
The court sentenced the company to pay a US$1,125,000 fine and make a US$375,000 community service payment to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. The company also will complete a four-year term of probation.
Eurobulk operated the commercial vessel Good Heart, which transports bulk cargo worldwide.
On April 29, 2023, the US Coast Guard conducted a port state control examination of Good Heart and received information from a whistleblower about illegal discharges of oil from the vessel.
On at least two occasions in April 2023, the vessel's crew discharged oily waste directly overboard from a space known as the "duct keel." These discharges were not recorded in the oil record book (ORB).
The crew also flushed the oil content meter with fresh water to ensure the oil water separator would allow the illegal overboard discharges. The crew failed to record these actions in the ORB, which obstructed the investigation.
Christos Charitos, the vessel's chief engineer, was sentenced in September 2024 to pay a US$2,000 fine and complete a one-year term of probation after pleading guilty to violating the APPS.
