Oil tanker owners slammed with multimillion-dollar fine after pleading guilty to dumping oil overboard — here's what you need to know

Illegal dumping like this is responsible for 35% of oil pollution in the ocean.

Crew members onboard an enormous tanker noticed that the waste they had been instructed to pump directly into the ocean did not look like it had been treated for pollution. Realizing that their ship's master was blatantly in violation of international laws around the prevention of pollution, they blew the whistle — and now, he's facing the consequences, as the Maritime Executive reported.

The PS Dream is a UAE-owned product tanker. When the illegal dumping began, it was being operated by two companies and captained by Abdurrahman Korkmaz, 37.

Photo Credit: US Department of Justice

Photo Credit: US Department of Justice

According to the news report and evidence supplied by the crew, a previous crew had left sludge and oil waste in the residual oil tank on deck, which is unacceptable according to waste processing protocol.

However, knowing what was in the tank, Korkmaz nevertheless instructed his crew to pump its contents directly into the ocean. Senior executives at the two operating companies also admitted to knowing about the tank's contents and having been "informed by Korkmaz that it had been dumped overboard," according to the Maritime Executive report.

Now, Korkmaz has pled guilty to two counts, the violation of the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships and obstructing proceedings. For the offenses, he faces up to 11 years in prison as well as a fine of up to $500,000. The operating company owners are also facing a $2 million criminal penalty.

Tanker and shipping operations, including illegal dumping and tank cleaning, are responsible for about 35% of oil pollution in the ocean, per the World Ocean Review. Oil is incredibly harmful to marine plants and animals, whether it is accidentally ingested or simply comes into contact with skin, fur, or feathers. The toxic chemicals in oil — approximately 10,000 different substances — have been linked to issues in marine life from lung damage to reproductive impairment, liver swelling, and bodily erosion.

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For environmentalists, the case is both encouraging and saddening. Similar cases are common — such as the illegally operated medical incinerator in Maryland that was fined $1.75 million but kept polluting, or Charleston's public utility company that's facing lawsuits after regularly leaking toxic chemicals and even raw sewage into streets.

Yet the ideal outcome would be to prevent these egregious environmental violations before they begin.

Much of the operating companies' criminal penalty may fund maritime environmental projects, and an equivalent amount may be awarded to the whistleblowers, according to the reporting.

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Oil tanker owners slammed with multimillion-dollar fine after pleading guilty to dumping oil overboard — here's what you need to know first appeared on The Cool Down.