United States v. Gremex Shipping S.A. de C.V.

On October 25, 2024, a court sentenced Gremex Shipping S.A. de C.V. (Gremex) to pay a $1.75 million fine, serve a four-year term of probation, and implement an environmental compliance plan. The shipping corporation pleaded guilty to violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS) for failing to maintain an accurate oil record book (ORB) (33 U.S.C. § 1908(a)).

Gremex is a Mexican corporation that managed several ships including the M/V Suhar. The Suhar is a 7,602 gross ton Panamanian-flagged ocean-going bulk carrier that routinely hauled cement from Tampico, Mexico, to Pensacola, Florida. Gremex was responsible for the Suhar’s day-to-day operations, including hiring all crew, and ensuring compliance with all environmental and international regulations.

The Coast Guard inspected the ship when it arrived in Pensacola on August 25, 2023. Inspectors determined that the vessel’s crew regularly discharged untreated oily bilge water overboard, bypassing onboard pollution control equipment, and falsified the ship’s ORB to conceal these discharges.

The U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service conducted the investigation.