Pennsylvania Port Inspections Lead To $1.75 Million Penalty For Ocean Oil Dumping

Two maritime firms pleaded guilty in federal court to illegally discharging oily waste into the ocean and falsifying shipboard records, federal authorities said.

MSC Shipmanagement Limited, one of the world’s largest shipping operators, and Hong Kong Spirit Shipping and Trading Limited, the owner of the motor vessel MSC Samira III, each pleaded guilty to two counts of violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS). The illegal conduct took place on the cargo ship between June 2024 and January 2025.

Both companies were sentenced to serve four years of probation and pay a combined fine of $1.75 million. The vessel’s second engineer, Mikhail Tsurikov, previously entered a guilty plea to APPS violations and is scheduled for sentencing on Sept. 10.

Federal prosecutors detailed how the ship’s crew circumvented environmental safeguards over several months. Between June and September 2024, senior engine officers ordered lower-level crew members to use portable pumps and hoses to transfer oily bilge water into a sewage holding tank. Crew members then pumped the contaminated water directly overboard into the sea, bypassing the ship’s oil-water separator. The separator is required safety equipment calibrated to ensure discharges do not exceed 15 parts per million of oil.

From September 2024 to January 2025, senior engine crew also bypassed the system by running fresh water through the separator’s oil content monitor. This method tricked the sensor into reading safe levels while the ship discharged oily bilge water directly into the ocean.

Crew members did not log any of the unapproved discharges in the ship’s official oil record book, as mandated by domestic and international maritime law. When the MSC Samira III docked twice at the Port of Philadelphia in January 2025, the crew presented the falsified logbooks to the U.S. Coast Guard during routine inspections.

“These companies repeatedly cut corners and covered it up, befouling the marine environment,” said U.S. Attorney David Metcalf. “Their violations evidence both a disdain for our country’s laws and a clear case of greed. Shippers who illegally discharge pollutants and doctor their records will be prosecuted and held accountable.”

Federal environmental and maritime officials emphasized that the use of doctored logs directly threatens port safety systems.

“Foreign vessels that enter the ports of the United States and present false documents undermine our efforts to preserve our environment and enforce the law,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Energy and Natural Resources Division. “We will vigorously protect the integrity of our port state control system against actors who put profit over compliance with the law.”

“Deliberately concealing illegal discharges puts our marine environment at risk and undermines the domestic and international regulatory frameworks designed to keep our waterways safe,” said U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Roberto Rivera, captain of the port and commander of Sector Delaware Bay. “The Coast Guard remains committed to working with our federal partners to hold operators accountable when they violate the laws that protect our oceans.”

The case was investigated by the Coast Guard Investigative Service (CGIS).

“The Coast Guard Investigative Service possesses unique statutory authorities and specialized investigative capabilities purpose-built to address complex criminal conduct in the maritime environment,” said CGIS Assistant Special Agent in Charge Javiel Gonzalez. “When maritime operators engage in criminal deception, falsify official records, and attempt to circumvent federal oversight, CGIS special agents have the technical expertise and jurisdiction to uncover the truth and hold perpetrators accountable. This case underscores our unwavering commitment to maintaining the integrity of our waterways and enforcing the rule of law across the maritime domain.”