Texas Firm Admits Ship Polluted Ocean
A Texas shipping company has admitted to illegally pumping oily bilge water into the Atlantic Ocean in 1993 in the first U.S. prosecution of its type, U.S. Atty. Charles Wilson said.
The charges involving the 678-foot tanker M/V Frances Hammer were filed against a Texas-based company, Ocean Chemical Carriers Inc. OCCI and the ship officers have pleaded guilty.
The company could face $250,000 in fines and restitution and must publish a public apology in a Tampa newspaper and a maritime trade journal. The captain, Peter Thorpe, faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and suspension of his license for two years. Chief mate James Gerhard faces a $5,000 fine and loss of his license for one year.
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