Company Sentenced
for False Oil Record Book
2/4/05 8:33:24 AM
Pacific and Atlantic Corp. of Athens Greece, operator of the Motor Vessel John
G. Lemos, pleaded guilty and was sentenced on Jan. 19 in U.S. District Court
for the District of Oregon in Portland, Ore., on charges that it falsified the
Lemos' Oil Record Book. Pacific and Atlantic was ordered to pay a $500,000
fine, $250,000 of which will be paid to the Columbia River Estuary Coastal
Fund. In addition, Pacific and Atlantic must
also establish an environmental compliance program for all 10 vessels in its
fleet. On Jan. 4, the U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Office conducted a routine
Port State Control Inspection of the Lemos at the Port of Portland.
The Lemos is a 473-foot, Cypress-flagged bulk cargo carrier. The inspection of
the vessel revealed false entries in the ship's Oil Record Book. After
initiating a joint criminal investigation, U.S. Coast Guard Investigative
Service and EPA Criminal Investigation Division special agents executed a
federal search and seizure warrant on the Lemos and presented evidence to the
grand jury three days later. Falsifying an Oil Record Book can prevent
regulators from determining that a ship is following required pollution control
practices. The case was prosecuted by the U.S.
attorney's office in Portland.
(HK LAW)
JALESVEVA YAYAMAHE
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