According to an article appearing in the Alaska Dispatch News, a German shipping company that admitted in May 2015 to dumping oily water into the Bering Sea off the coast of Alaska was ordered by a U.S. federal judge on 3 June 2015 to pay $750,000 in fines and community service payments.

The article, which was written by Lisa Demer, states, “Herm. Dauelsberg GmbH & Co. KG, which already was on criminal probation for another pollution case, also was ordered by U.S. District Judge Tim Burgess to serve another three years of probation. In addition, it must establish an “environmental compliance plan” that will require shipwide protocols for each of its seven vessels that sail in U.S. waters and an auditor to inspect and ensure that the plan is being followed. The company’s ships also are under heightened scrutiny through searches without warrants if there’s a reasonable suspicion of a crime, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.”

It’s the second criminal case of oil dumping by a cargo ship off Alaska resolved in the last 10 days, said Kevin Feldis, first assistant U.S. attorney in Alaska. In the other case, AML Ship Management GmbH admitted that a ship carrying vehicles, the City of Tokyo, dumped oily wastewater in U.S. waters off Alaska back in August. AML was sentenced 26 May.”

“It’s unusual to have two cases back to back like this,” said Feldis, who along with Yvonne Lamoureux prosecuted the cases. “It’s indicative of a continuing problem of oil pollution from vessels.”

Read the original article here.