Ship management company pleads guilty to dumping oily waste near New Orleans

NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — A ship management company based out of Connecticut plead guilty on July 15 to having deliberately dumped oily waste into waters off the coast of New Orleans.

According to the United Stated Department of Justice, an investigation started after a crew member of the M/V Gannet Bulker, a bulk carrier under Eagle Ship Management LLC, sent a message through social media on March 14, 2021, indicating that the engine room had flooded and that resulting oil-contaminated bilge waste was pumped overboard at night.

Court records say that from the discharge, around 10,303 gallons of bilge waste were pumped into the water, neglecting the use of required pollution prevention equipment or proper recordkeeping.

In pleading guilty to violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships, court document state ESM also admitted that its crew acted to conceal the flooding, which was reportedly caused by a “botched repair.” Officials say that action was also taken to retaliate against the whistleblower, whose identity was known.

Lastly, Department of Justice officials reported that senior ship officers and crew lied to the Coast Guard and destroyed evidence, such as a printout with key information on it which came from the engine control room.

Sentencing in this case is scheduled for Oct. 16 and could result in ESM paying a criminal fine of $1,750,000, as well as a four-year probation, including audits from an independent technical expert.

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