Oil Tanker Engineers Plead Guilty to Charges of Concealing Vessel Pollution; Chief Engineer Also Pleads Guilty to Discharging Oily Waste Off Coast of New Jersey

Article: Two ship engineers on the oil tanker M/T Kriti Ruby have pleaded guilty to charges related to the concealment of pollution and the discharge of oily waste into the sea off the coast of New Jersey. Chief Engineer Konstantinos Atsalis, 56, admitted to violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS). He confessed that the vessel’s crew intentionally bypassed pollution prevention equipment and discharged oily waste through the sewage system into the sea, including near a petroleum offloading facility in Sewaren. Atsalis also admitted to falsifying the vessel’s oil record book (ORB) to hide this illegal activity. Second Engineer Sonny Bosito, 54, also pleaded guilty to concealing the discharge of oily waste and presenting a false ORB during inspection. Both engineers face a maximum penalty of six years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentencing is scheduled for October 22. The case was investigated by the U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service.

Source