Eagle Ship Management LLC (ESM) has pleaded guilty to deliberately discharging more than 10,000 gallons of oil-contaminated waste into U.S. waters near New Orleans, according to Justice Department officials.
The Stamford, Connecticut-based company admitted to violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS) after crew members on their foreign-flagged bulk carrier, M/V Gannet Bulker, intentionally pumped oil-contaminated bilge water overboard while anchored near the Southwest Passage of the Port of New Orleans.
Court records show approximately 39 cubic meters (10,303 gallons) of oily waste was discharged without using required pollution prevention equipment, with no proper recordkeeping.
The illegal dumping came to light after a whistleblower crew member alerted authorities through social media in March 2021, reporting that the engine room had flooded and the resulting contaminated bilge waste was deliberately pumped overboard under cover of darkness.
If the court approves the plea agreement, ESM will pay a $1.75 million criminal fine and serve four years of probation with oversight from an independent technical expert.
The vessel’s chief engineer has already been sentenced to a year and a day in prison in a separate case for his role in the pollution incident and subsequent obstruction of justice.
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