Companies fined, tanker captain jailed in US for dumping oil

The captain of 2006-built, 51,200-dwt MR2 tanker PS Dream, Abdurrahman Korkmaz, has been sentenced to eight months in prison for his role in the illegal discharge of oil-contaminated waste into the ocean and obstructing the subsequent US Coast Guard investigation.

This sentencing follows the case against two corporations, Prive Overseas Marine LLC and Prive Shipping Denizcilik Ticaret, which operate the vessel. Both companies were ordered to pay a US$2M criminal penalty and will be subject to four years of probation as part of their sentence handed down by a federal court in New Orleans.

The charges against the captain and the companies stem from an incident in January 2023, when PS Dream was en route to New Orleans.

Senior corporate managers were reportedly aware Captain Korkmaz had arranged to discharge oil-contaminated waste from a residual tank into the ocean. Over the course of three days, the crew, under the captain’s orders, used a portable pump to discharge the waste overboard and then cleaned the tank with soap.

The discharges, which were in violation of the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships and Marpol Annex I, were deliberately concealed by falsifying the ship’s Oil Record Book.

The concealment efforts began to unravel when a crew member alerted the US Coast Guard and provided video evidence of the oil discharge and the resulting sheen on the ocean surface.

When the vessel arrived in Louisiana, another crew member came forward with a recording of a ship officer discussing the illegal dumping. This whistleblower co-operation played a critical role in uncovering the violations and led to a comprehensive investigation by the Coast Guard.

In a joint statement, Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division assistant attorney general Todd Kim of the Eastern District of Louisiana and attorney Duane Evans said, "These sentences demonstrate the Department of Justice’s commitment to holding individuals and corporations accountable for illegal pollution of the seas and for obstructing investigations aimed at protecting the environment."