Ship firm is fined $1.3 million

A Greek ship management company was fined $1.3 million after pleading guilty yesterday to conspiring with the crew of a commercial cargo ship to falsify the ship's records on disposal of oily waste when the ship arrived at Philadelphia, acting U.S. Attorney Laurie Magid said.

Pendulum Shipmanagement Inc. also received a $1,600 special assessment and three years' probation, and was ordered to implement an environmental compliance plan.

According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, the cargo ship M/V Quantum arrived at the Port of Philadelphia in early July. The Coast Guard found evidence that the ship's pollution prevention equipment was not working properly and that the ship had discharged oily waste directly overboard since at least May. The news release said the ship's records falsely indicated the oily waste was properly processed and failed to account for the discharge of oily bilge waste.

According to the release, oil-contaminated ballast water was discharged directly into the ocean in February, and the ship's records failed to account for that discharge.

The master of the vessel, Nestor Alcantara, 52, and chief engineer Alfredo Onita, 50, both of the Philippines, face up to 11 years in prison.

- Inquirer staff