When sailing into US waters, don’t do as Gunduz Avaz did. The 50-year-old Turkish chief engineer faces a maximum of six years in jail after pleading guilty on 3rd August to the single charge of knowingly failing to fully and accurately maintain an Oil Record Book as required by international and US laws. You must hand it to the Americans and their system. Theirs is a rule of law, on land and at sea.
The US Attorney’s office in the Middle District of Florida said oily wastes from the engine room of the M/V Avenue Star were first transferred to a sea-water ballast storage tank, then dumped into the sea whilst the ship transited from Honduras to Tampa, FL. The illegal discharges were not properly recorded by Mr Avaz in the Oil Record Book. His second assistant engineer had pleaded guilty last month to the same charge.
As usually happens, it was the ship’s crew that blew the whistle. Acting on their complaint, the US Coast Guard conducted an inspection of the Avenue Star whilst she was docked at the Port of Tampa on 21st October 2009 and discovered oil in the ballast water tank and the hoses used to by-pass the pollution prevention equipment. Will maritime rules ever be enforced with the same enthusiasm in the Philippines? Silly that we ask. ~Barista Uno
