MT OCEAN PRINCESS

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Greek Companies Fined in Virgin Islands Air Emissions Case

The U.S. Department of Justice District of the Virgin Islands has fined two Greek Shipping companies for various air pollution offenses committed in the U.S. Caribbean Emission Control Area, with fines totaling over $3 million for those involved. Ionian Shipping & Trading Corp., Lily Shipping Ltd, Stamatios Alekidis, Athanasios Pittas and Rey Espulgar have been convicted and sentenced for various pollution, record-keeping and obstruction of justice offenses on the tanker Ocean Princess. The defendants’ conduct included using fuel that exceeded the maximum allowable sulfur concentration and efforts to deceive U.S. Coast Guard inspectors about the source of the fuel being used. The Ocean Princess was owned by Lily Shipping Ltd and operated by Ionian Shipping & Trading Corp., both Greece-domiciled companies. The vessel was engaged in transporting petroleum products throughout the Caribbean including from Limetree Terminals, St. Croix. The commercial manager of the vessel would authorize the Master of the vessel, Stamatios Alekidis, to transfer petroleum cargo from the cargo tanks into the vessel’s bunker tanks.