Greece\u2019s Zeus Lines Management has pleaded guilty in Providence, Rhode Island and agreed to pay $2.25m for violations of environmental laws that were carried out by the captain and chief engineer of one of its tankers.<\/p>\n
The Panama-flagged 2008-built chemical\/product tanker The violations took place when the tanker was transporting a cargo of diesel from Rotterdam to Rhode Island. The company\u2019s chief engineer, Roberto Cayabyab Penaflor, and Captain Jose Ervin Mahigne Porquez also pleaded guilty to their roles in the crimes and are scheduled to be sentenced on August 8.<\/p>\n The penalty consists of a fine of nearly $1.7m and a community service payment of $562,500. The community service payment will go to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to fund projects to benefit marine and coastal natural resources located in the State of Rhode Island. Zeus will also serve a four-year term of probation, during which any vessels operated by the company and calling on US ports will be required to implement a robust environmental compliance plan.<\/p>\n \u201cIn this case, a foreign company decided it could ignore its obligation under American law, putting our waters and coastal communities at risk. Today\u2019s guilty pleas are a reminder that this office will enforce our environmental laws to hold violators \u2013 individuals and corporate \u2013 accountable and protect our vital natural resources and our citizenry,\u201d said US Attorney Zachary Cunha for the District of Rhode Island.<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\tGalissas<\/span> discharged 9,544 gallons (36,128 litres) of oily bilge water directly into the ocean and failed to report a hazardous condition in the vessel\u2019s cargo tanks to the US Coast Guard last year, according to court documents.<\/p>\n