CLIPPER SATURN

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Tanker company has to appear in court for oily bilge spills

The GAS carrying Clipper Shipping has been ordered to appear in a Houston court for a first hearing related to a case of an oily bilge spill that allegedly occured in Africa. The case is unusual because the alleged offence did not occur in US waters. Prosecutors contended that the 'Clipper Saturn' made an illegal discharge of oily waste while at anchor off the coast of Lome, Togo in West Africa. The criminal charges were filed on April 6, 2023, in the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division against Clipper Shipping and its vessel. The chief engineer was cited as the person in charge and responsible for the issues in the violation. In the filing, the prosecutor says that the US, as part of an international regime, enforces the MARPOL agreements to prevent pollution. The US Coast Guard has the authority to conduct inspections and enforce laws. They highlight that the US in its role enforces the regulations for vessels regardless of their registry in the navigable waters of the US or while in a port or terminal under the jurisdiction of the US The filing does not explain how the US discovered these violations. They were apparently uncovered during a routine inspection of the tanker after it arrived in the Port of Houston on Oct 28, 2021.The US Coast Guard charges that the Oil Record Book failed to contain properly recorded entries regarding discharges of machinery space bilge water that had not been processed and discharged to a shore facility or barge. They alleged the incidents took place a month before the inspection, between Sep 27 and Oct 1, while the tanker was anchored off Togo.