Two German shipping corporations faced the wrath of justice as they pleaded guilty in a San Diego court for environmental crimes against the ocean. W. Bockstiegel Reederei GmBH & CO. KG, which operated the Motor Vessel ‘Nils B’, and W. Bockstiegel GmBH & Co. Reederei KG MS ‘NILS B’, which owned the vessel, admitted to a felony violation of the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships.
Prosecutors revealed that the companies failed to maintain an accurate Oil Record Book, thereby concealing the illegal discharge of sludge into the ocean without using pollution prevention equipment. This revelation came after Coast Guard personnel boarded the Nils B in San Diego on August 5, 2014, and found the crew had not kept an Oil Record Book for a considerable period.
The vessel’s Oil Water Separator was tampered with, and a ‘magic hose’ containing light fuel oil mixed with lubricating oil was discovered. The companies’ guilty plea confirmed that sludge samples matched those taken from the ship’s overboard discharge valve and sludge tank. Such discharges are strictly prohibited by industry standards.
Senior Trial Attorney Kenneth E. Nelson of the Department of Justice’s Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Melanie Pierson prosecuted the case. The companies agreed to a total criminal penalty of $750,000, with $250,000 designated for community service to the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve.
This groundbreaking case was investigated by the U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service and the EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division in San Diego. Sentencing is set for November 3, 2016, before U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw.
Defendants:
W. Bocksteigel GmBH & Co., Reederei KG MS ‘NILS B’
Emden, Germany
W. Bockstiegel Reederei GmBH & CO. KG
Emden, Germany
Case Number: 16cr2440
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Key Facts
- State: California
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Public Corruption|White Collar Crime|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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