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Ship management pleaded guilty for water pollution after engine room flooding

The Eagle Ship Management LLC, based in Stamford, Connecticut, of the 'Gannet Bulker' pleaded guilty on July 13, 2025, to deliberately polluting U.S. waters off the coast of New Orleans by dumping oily waste in 2021. If sentencing is approved, the company could face a criminal fine of $1.75 million and a four-year probation term that includes audits by an independent expert,. The charges stemmed from an investigation the U.S. Coast Guard launched after a crew member on the 'Gannet Bulker' sent a social media message on March 14, 2021, stating the engine room had flooded and oil-contaminated water was deliberately pumped overboard at night. The 'Gannet Bulker' was anchored near Southwest Pass of the Port of New Orleans near the mouth of the Mississippi River at that time. The oily discharge was around 39 cubic meters and did not involve the use of required pollution prevention equipment or recordkeeping. The chief engineer of the ship was prosecuted in a separate case and sentenced to serve a year and a day in prison for his role in the discharge of oil and obstruction of justice. The company's plea included admissions that the crew engaged in obstructive acts, including retaliation against the whistleblower, senior ship officers and crew lying to the Coast Guard and destruction of evidence, including a printout from the engine control room computer. Senior ship officers also created false and backdated personnel evaluations intended to discredit the whistleblower The sentencing is scheduled for Oct.16.