United States v. Clipper Shipping A.S.

On July 6, 2023, a court sentenced Clipper Shipping A.S. after accepting its guilty plea. The company will pay a $1.5 million fine and complete a four-year term of probation to include implementing an environmental compliance plan with third party monitoring.  Clipper Shipping admitted to violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships for failing to maintain an accurate Oil Record Book (33 U.S.C. § 1908).

On October 28, 2021, a crewmember from the M/T Clipper Saturn gave a Coast Guard inspector a digital file that contained evidence of illegal bilge water discharges. Further investigation revealed that the vessel’s Chief Engineer ordered the crew to transfer bilge water into the gray water tank. The crew then used the emergency eductor system to illegally discharge the gray water tank contents. The Chief Engineer that ordered the illegal activity was not on the vessel when it arrived in Houston on October 28, 2021.

The U.S Coast Guard Sector Houston/Galveston and the Coast Guard Investigative Service conducted the investigation.