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Four Companies Fined $5 Million for Ocean Oil Dumping Conspiracy
Release Date: 11/14/2002
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(11/14/2002) Four maritime companies (Boyang Maritime, Boyang Limited, Trans- Ports International and Oswego Limited) were fined $5 million by U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska in Anchorage on Oct. 23. The four companies were charged for their role in dumping oil from cargo ships that regularly transport frozen seafood and other goods from Alaska to Asia. Of the $5 million, $1 million will go to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to benefit the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, which encompasses much of Alaska’s offshore islands, including the Aleutians. The companies will set aside an additional $500,000 to develop an environmental compliance plan. In August, the companies pleaded guilty to charges of covering up routine waste oil dumping from their fleet of about a dozen freighters. Boyang Maritime also pleaded guilty to charges it obstructed justice and tampered with witnesses to cover up the dumping. Dumping oil at sea can harm fish and other aquatic life. A ship’s captain and two chief engineers have already been convicted in the dumping. Doo Hyun Kim, captain of the Khana, was sentenced to six months in prison. In Ho Kim, the chief engineer of the Khana, was sentenced to six months in prison. Je Yong Lee, chief engineer of the Sohoh, was sentenced to eight months in prison. The case was investigated by EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division, the U.S. Coast Guard and the FBI. It is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s office in Anchorage and the Environmental Crimes Section of the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C.
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