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PA FORMER SHIP’S ENGINEER AWARDED $500,000 IN ALASKA CASE
Release Date: 10/16/98
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FOR RELEASE: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16, 1998
FORMER SHIP’S ENGINEER AWARDED $500,000 IN ALASKA CASE
A former assistant engineer on Holland America’s cruise ship SS Rotterdam was awarded $500,000 on Oct. 8, by the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska in Anchorage for providing information concerning the illegal pumping of untreated bilge water into the ocean in violation of the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships. During the summer of 1994, the engineer refused an order to pump untreated bilge water into the sea while the ship was sailing through Alaska’s Inside Passage which is an ecologically sensitive area. When other crew members complied with the order, he reported the illegal dumping to the U.S. Coast Guard. In the same case, the ship’s owner, Holland America Cruise Line which is a subsidiary of the Dutch company HAL Beheer BV, was ordered to pay a $1 million fine, half of which was awarded to the engineer. As part of the settlement, Holland America will also provide $1 million to the National Park Foundation to benefit marine ecosystems. In addition to the $2 million payment, Holland America must establish a company environmental compliance plan, add pollution reduction equipment on each of its vessels, and serve five years probation. The case was investigated by EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division, the U.S. Coast Guard and the FBI.
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