BEAUMONT, Texas (Legal Newsline) — The U.S. Department of Justice announced June 20 that two companies based in Egypt and Singapore will pay $1.9 million after allegations of violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS).
Making the announcement for the department were acting assistant attorney general Jeffrey H. Wood for the Department of Justice's Environment and Natural Resources Division and acting U.S. attorney Brit Featherston for the Eastern District of Texas. The defendants are the Egyptian Tanker Company and Thome Ship Management.
“This case involved egregious violations of U.S. and international laws that are key to protecting the oceans from pollution, and deliberate efforts to mislead U.S. Coast Guard officials about these criminal acts,” Wood said. “The Department of Justice will continue to aggressively prosecute criminal acts that pollute the oceans.”
In addition to the monetary penalty, the defendants will need to work on marine and coastal restoration efforts at three National Wildlife Refuges in east Texas.
“Intentional acts of pollution in the Gulf of Mexico and Texas wetlands will not be tolerated, and violators such as defendants, Egyptian Tanker Company and Thome Ship Management, will be held responsible for their conduct,” Featherston said. “Our citizens depend on clean water for their recreation and their livelihood. This kind of irresponsible conduct threatens both.”