Gremex Shipping S.A. de C.V., a shipping management company based in Mexico, has been fined $1.75 million after pleading guilty to providing false records to the U.S. Coast Guard. The records were intended to conceal illegal discharges of oily bilge waste into the ocean, a violation of the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS). The sentencing took place in federal district court in Pensacola, Florida.
The case originated from a Coast Guard investigation of the M/V Suhar, a Panamanian-flagged bulk carrier managed by Gremex. The ship, which routinely transported cement between Tampico, Mexico, and Pensacola, was found to have regularly discharged untreated oily bilge water into the sea without using onboard pollution control equipment. This practice was concealed by falsifying entries in the ship’s oil record book.
Under international regulations such as MARPOL, vessels are required to process oily bilge water through an oily water separator before discharge and maintain an accurate oil record book for monitoring compliance. Both Panama and the United States are parties to this treaty.
In accordance with a joint sentencing recommendation by the government and Gremex, the court imposed not only the financial penalty but also mandated a four-year probation period during which Gremex must develop and implement an environmental compliance plan.
The announcement was made by Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Environment and Natural Resources Division and U.S. Attorney Jason R. Coody for the Northern District of Florida.
The investigation was conducted by the Coast Guard’s Investigative Service, while Trial Attorney Joel La Bissonniere of the Environment and Natural Resources Division’s Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Love prosecuted the case.