Greek Shipping Firms Fined Millions for Polluting NJ Waters, Falsifying Records

Two Greek shipping companies were fined millions in federal court in Newark on Monday, Dec. 23 after pleading guilty to polluting waters, falsifying records, and obstructing justice during port calls in New Jersey last year, authorities said.

A company was fined millions for dumping pollution into the water.
Photo Credit: *Ken Lund/Wikimedia Commons (File Photo)*

Sam Barron

12/24/2024 12:53 p.m.

Avin International Ltd. and Kriti Ruby Special Maritime Enterprises, owners and operators of the oil tanker Kriti Ruby, will pay $4.6 million in fines and community service payments, US Attorney Philip Sellinger said. They were also placed on probation for five years with mandatory environmental compliance monitoring, Sellinger said

The companies illegally discharged oily bilge water into the sea in May and September 2022, admitting to presenting false records to the U.S. Coast Guard during port inspections at the Sewaren Terminal in New Jersey, Sellinger said.

According to court documents, the crew used the ship’s sewage system to bypass pollution prevention equipment, dumping the oily waste directly into the ocean. To avoid detection, they hid equipment used in the operation in a sealed void space called a “cofferdam," Sellinger said.

Avin International and Kriti Ruby Special Maritime Enterprises will pay $1.25 million to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation as part of their community service payment, Sellinger said.

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