May 3, 2023

Zeus Lines Management S.A., chief engineer Roberto Cayabyab Penaflor, and Captain Ervin Mahigne Porquez pleaded guilty to environmental law violations, admitting to discharging oily bilge directly into the ocean while bypassing the onboard pollution prevention equipment and failing to report a hazardous condition on board the oil tanker Galissas. In violation of the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships, Penaflor ordered the engine room crew to discharge 9,544 gallons of oily bilge directly into the ocean and instructed them to hide this information from the U.S. Coast Guard during inspections. Additionally, Porquez violated the Ports and Waterways Safety Act for failing to report that the Galissas’ inert gas system was inoperable, causing the vessel’s cargo tanks’ oxygen level to reach as dangerously high as 17%, where 8% is the highest allowed. Zeus will pay $2.25 million total, which includes a community service payment of $562,500 and a fine of $1,687,500.  DOJ, USAO RI

Tagged in: Environmental Fraud,