Captain Abdurrahman Korkmaz, 37, a Turkish national, pleaded guilty today to a two-count information charging him with violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS) and for obstructing proceedings. Korkmaz, the captain of the PS Dream, a Panama-flagged motor tanker, is facing a maximum penalty of six years in prison, with a fine of up to $250,000, or twice the gain or loss from the offense.
The PS Dream arrived in New Orleans on Jan. 26, 2023, and was inspected by the U.S. Coast Guard. During the inspection, the Coast Guard discovered falsified oil record books that omitted information about discharging oily waste to the ocean before arriving in the United States. Korkmaz admitted to presenting the books to the Coast Guard, knowing they were false.
According to documents and statements filed in court, Korkmaz ordered his crew to pump overboard from the residual oil tank, which contained oily waste. A portable pump was used to discharge directly into the ocean without any required pollution prevention equipment or monitoring. The waste oil, including sludge, originated in the engine room and had been improperly transferred into the residual oil tank on the deck of the ship by a prior crew.
Senior managers at Prive Shipping LLC and Prive Shipping Denizcilik Ticaret – two related companies that operated the ship – were aware that the oil-contaminated waste remained in the tank and were informed by Korkmaz that it had been dumped overboard. Both companies pleaded guilty and are scheduled for sentencing on Sept. 26.
Korkmaz is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 10, and faces a maximum penalty of six years in prison, with a fine of up to $250,000, or twice the gain or loss from the offense, for the APPS charge. He also faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, with a fine of up to $250,000, or twice the gain or loss from the offense, for the obstruction charge.
The investigation was conducted by the Coast Guard Investigative Service and the Environmental Protection Agency’s Criminal Investigations Division, with assistance from U.S. Coast Guard Sector New Orleans. Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division, U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans for the Eastern District of Louisiana, Special Agent in Charge Damon J. Youmans of the Coast Guard Investigative Service’s Gulf Field Office, and Captain Greg Callaghan, Commander of U.S. Coast Guard Sector New Orleans, made the announcement.
The case is being prosecuted by Senior Litigation Counsel Richard A. Udell and Senior Trial Attorney Ryan Connors of the Justice Department’s Environmental Crimes Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys G. Dall Kammer and Christine M. Calogero for the Eastern District of Louisiana.
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Key Facts
- State: Louisiana
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Public Corruption|White Collar Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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