A Norwegian shipping company has pleaded guilty to environmental crimes in the United States after admitting to dumping oily waste into the Gulf of Mexico and falsifying official records to conceal the pollution.
V.Ships Norway A.S. (V.Ships), operator of the Motor Tanker Swift Winchester, entered the guilty plea on Monday to violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships. A U.S. federal court sentenced the company to pay a $2 million fine for the illegal discharges and fraudulent record-keeping.
Between February and August 2022, investigators found that crew members bypassed pollution control equipment by using a hose to transfer oily waste into the ship’s sewage holding tank, which was then discharged directly into the sea. Later, in August 2022, the tanker’s new Chief Engineer ordered the cleaning of the Oil Water Separator (OWS) filter on deck with a degreaser, causing more oily waste to wash overboard through a scupper.
According to court documents, these discharges were deliberately omitted from the ship’s Oil Record Book, a legally required log of pollution-control operations. The falsification was revealed after an engine room crewmember reported the scheme, providing photos and video evidence to a company superintendent and later to U.S. Coast Guard inspectors.
“The crew took pains to hide their illegal activity by knowingly keeping inaccurate records,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “We will not turn a blind eye to this kind of irresponsible and fraudulent activity.”
Federal prosecutors stressed that the violations threatened U.S. waters and ecosystems. “When a foreign ship operated by a foreign company discharges polluting wastes, it threatens waters that are vital to the United States and the state of Texas,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs for the Eastern District of Texas.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Port Arthur and the U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service. Prosecutors from the Justice Department’s Environmental Crimes Section and U.S. Attorney’s Offices in Texas and Louisiana led the prosecution.
Officials emphasized that the prosecution demonstrates a strong stance against maritime pollution. “By holding those accountable who violate these standards, we send a clear message that we will not tolerate actions that endanger our environment,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Ellison C. Travis of the Middle District of Louisiana.
