Chief Engineer Of Bulk Carrier Sentenced For Discharging Oily Waste Into Ocean

A Chinese national serving as the chief engineer aboard a bulk carrier has been sentenced to three months in prison after pleading guilty to violating U.S. environmental laws and obstructing an official inspection.

Fei Wang, 38, admitted to violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS) and was sentenced on January 24, 2025, in Louisiana. He will also serve three years of supervised release and must pay a $200 mandatory special assessment fee.

Wang was the Chief Engineer of the M/V ASL Singapore, a Chinese-owned, Liberia-registered bulk carrier. The ship, engaged in trade in the United States, arrived in New Orleans on February 26, 2024.

During a routine inspection, U.S. Coast Guard officials reviewed the vessel’s Oil Record Books and found fraudulent entries.

Wang later admitted that he knowingly presented these falsified records, hiding that the crew had discharged oily bilge water directly into the ocean before arriving in the U.S.

Per the court documents and statements, the crew had been using a portable pump and flexible hose- commonly referred to as a “magic pipe”-to dispose of oily bilge water without using the required pollution prevention equipment.

This practice started before Wang joined the vessel in October 2023 and continued under his supervision. The vessel’s Oily Water Separator was never properly used during his time as chief engineer.

After the inspection, the U.S. Coast Guard detained the ASL Singapore for the violations.

The Coast Guard Investigative Service (CGIS) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Criminal Investigations Division investigated the case with assistance from the U.S. Coast Guard Sector New Orleans.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office General Crimes Unit handled the prosecution.

During the sentencing, officials said like Wang’s conviction they will now hold individuals personally accountable for illegal discharges of oil and other pollutants.

Prosecutors say that the violations of MARPOL (the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships) were a serious environmental offence.

The ASL Singapore was managed by ASL Singapore Shipping and owned by Jia Feng Shipping at the time of the violations. The vessel, an 81,800 dwt bulk carrier built in 2012, has changed ownership at least once or twice since the incident.

Damon J. Youmans, Special Agent in Charge of the Coast Guard Investigative Service Gulf Field Office, said that the agency is focused on holding individuals accountable for MARPOL violations, particularly cases involving illegal discharges of oily waste.

Reference: U.S. Department of Justice

Source: Maritime Shipping News