International Shipping Companies Sentenced to Pay $1.75 Million Fine for Concealing Discharges of Oily Waste Into Ocean

PHILADELPHIA — United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that a vessel operating company pleaded guilty today to charges stemming from the discharge of oily waste into the sea. MSC Shipmanagement Limited, one of the largest shipping companies in the world, pleaded guilty to two counts of violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (“APPS”) for conduct that occurred on the motor vessel MSC Samira III between June 2024 and January 2025. The vessel’s owner, Hong Kong Spirit Shipping and Trading Limited, also pleaded guilty to two counts of violating APPS. Both companies were sentenced to pay a combined fine of $1.75 million and serve four years of probation. Second Engineer Mikhail Tsurikov previously pleaded guilty to violating APPS and is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 10.

“These companies repeatedly cut corners and covered it up, befouling the marine environment,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “Their violations evidence both a disdain for our country’s laws and a clear case of greed. Shippers who illegally discharge pollutants and doctor their records will be prosecuted and held accountable.”

“Foreign vessels that enter the ports of the United States and present false documents undermine our efforts to preserve our environment and enforce the law,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Department of Justice’s Energy and Natural Resources Division (“ENRD”). “We will vigorously protect the integrity of our port state control system against actors who put profit over compliance with the law.”

“Deliberately concealing illegal discharges puts our marine environment at risk and undermines the domestic and international regulatory frameworks designed to keep our waterways safe,” said U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Roberto Rivera, captain of the port and commander of Sector Delaware Bay. “The Coast Guard remains committed to working with our federal partners to hold operators accountable when they violate the laws that protect our oceans.”