A Texas court has fined ship management company V.Ships Norway $2 million after the company admitted to illegal discharges of oily waste from the tanker Swift Winchester.
Between February and August 2022, the vessel’s crew used a hose to pump waste oil from the incinerator tank into the sewage holding tank and then directly into the sea, bypassing pollution prevention equipment. A junior engine crew member initially raised the alarm to a V.Ships superintendent, who confirmed oil traces in the sewage tank. Following this, V.Ships dismissed the chief engineer involved.
Later, under a new chief engineer, the crew was ordered to clean an oily water separator filter on deck, with the waste again washed overboard.
The violations were uncovered thanks to a crew member who reported the practices and handed over photos and videos to the U.S. Coast Guard. Inspectors confirmed the evidence during examinations in Port Arthur, Texas, and Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
V.Ships pleaded guilty in court to violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships, admitting that oily bilge water and oily waste were discharged from the vessel and that the discharges were omitted from the Oil Record Book.
