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Casilda Shipping Sentenced for Illegal Disposal of Oil Waste Water
Blog
October 31, 2008
On October 22, 2008, Casilda Shipping Ltd., owner of the Rio Gold, pleaded guilty to falsifying oil discharge records in connection with illegal disposal of oil waste water during the period July 2007-May 2008. The company was sentenced to pay a fine of $750,000 and to serve three years of probation.
Also sentenced was the organization that operates the Rio Gold, Genesis Seatrading Corporation, as well as the vessel's chief engineer, Pantelis Thomas. Genesis was sentenced to a three-year Environmental Compliance Plan, plus three years probation, while Thomas was sentenced to pay a $5,000 fine plus three years probation.
The charges stemmed from the discovery of the defendants' use of a "magic pipe" on board the Rio Gold to discharge oil waste directly into the ocean. The defendants then fraudulently omitted the discharges from the ship's records.
A portion of Casilda's fine will be given to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation for use in coastal restoration projects, and a portion will also be given to the employees who initially reported the illegal activities to authorities.
This entry has been created for information and planning purposes. It is not intended to be, nor should it be substituted for, legal advice, which turns on specific facts.