United States v. Eagle Ship Management, LLC.

On July 15, 2025, Eagle Ship Management, LLC, pleaded guilty to a knowing violation of the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (33 U.S.C. Sect. 1908). This case stems from the deliberate discharge of approximately 10,000 gallons of oil-contaminated bilge water overboard in U.S. waters off the coast of New Orleans from the M/V Gannet Bulker, a foreign flag vessel registered in the Marshall Islands. Sentencing is scheduled for October 16, 2025.

The illegal discharge was reported via social media to the U.S. Coast Guard by a foreign crewmember on the ship. At the time of the discharge, the Gannet Bulker was at an anchorage near the mouth of the Mississippi River in New Orleans and within the navigable waters of the United States. The allegations led to a Coast Guard inspection and a criminal investigation. Under the terms of the proposed plea agreement, Eagle Ship Management will pay a criminal fine of $1,750,000, and serve a four-year term of probation subject to the terms of an environmental compliance program. 

Kirill Kompaniets, the vessel’s Chief Engineer, was previously sentenced to a year and a day in prison, a $5,000 criminal fine, and six months of supervised release for his role in directing the discharge and obstructing justice.