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The article reports that BP plc had pled guilty to criminal and civil charges brought by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in November 2012 in relation to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill that happened in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. BP is expected to pay 4 billion dollars in penalties to settle the charges brought by the DOJ. In a press conference, Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer commented on the oil spill and the settlement.

The article reports that the Pacific Gulf Marine (PGM) manager has agreed to plead guilty in violation of the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships in the U.S. If approved by the court, PGM will pay $1 million criminal fine and $500,000 for community service. PGM admitted that its shore-side management failed to provide sufficient management resources, supervision and support to the ships and to its employees.

The article discusses the case of the cargo vessel Rena which ran aground in Astrolabe reef off the eastern coast of New Zealand in October 2011. Officers Mauro Balomaga and Leonil Relon, captain and navigation officer respectively, were sentenced to jail after pleading guilty to charges that led to the accident. It also discusses the environmental impact of oil spill resulting from the accident.

The article focuses on the guilty plea of Fleet Management Ltd., operator of the MV Cosco Busan containership when it collided with the Oakland Bridge and spilled 54,000 gallons of bunker fuel into San Francisco Bay, California in November 2007. It reportedly acknowledged violating the US Clean Water Act and Migratory Bird Treaty Act, making false statements and obstructing justice. Fleet's US $10 million penalty, $2 million of which will support marine projects, is also noted.

The article reports that the request of Fleet Management Ltd. for an emergency appeal of a ruling that would require it to pay a fine of up to US$40 million once it pleads guilty to misdemeanor charges related to a 2007 oil spill in San Francisco Bay, California, has been rejected by the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Fleet Management is being required to issue its guilty plea under a revised indictment which would lead to higher amount of fines. The oil spill has released around 54,000 gallons of bunker fuel.

The article reports on the guilty plea of John Cota, the pilot of MV Cosco Busan, to violations of the U.S. Clean Water Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. In November 2007, his ship spilled an estimated 54,000 gallons of bunker fuel into San Francisco Bay, California when it sideswiped a protective fender around a San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge support in heavy fog. This led to the breaching of the vessel's fuel tanks.

The article announces that Mid-America Pipeline Co. has pled guilty to negligently releasing 200,000 gallons of ammonia into a Kansas creek in October 2004. According to attorney Eric Melgren, the pipe created a vapor cloud and caused residents to evacuate their homes. The company pled guilty to violating the U.S. Clean Water Act and will pay $1 million dollars of criminal penalty to the Oil Spill and Hazardous Substances Clean-up Trust Fund.

The article reports that a U.S. Court of Appeals has ruled that federal sentencing guidelines were misapplied in a case involving Noel Abrogar, chief engineer of the ship Magellan Phoenix. He was found guilty of knowingly making false entries in the ship's oil record book regarding the discharge of oil-contaminated waste at sea. The government argued that the multiple improper oily waste discharges fit the criteria for allowing an enhanced sentence.

The article reports that Georgios Vafeas, chief engineer of the tanker MT Georgis Nikolos, has pleaded guilty to a felony water pollution charge on the handling and disposal of oil-contaminated sludge and wastewaters. He admitted to destroying a sounding notebook that contains waste tank measurements, ordering the crew to hide the magic pipe and related equipment and directing them to throw an adaptor overboard at the Port of Long Beach.

Reports on the agreement of container ship company MSC Ship Management Ltd. to plead guilty to charges that it engaged in conspiracy, obstruction of justice, destruction of evidence, false statements and violated the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships in the U.S. Terms of the plea agreement between MSC and the U.S.; Amount of fine to be imposed against the company.

Reports on the guilty plea of Ioannis Kallikis, captain of the cargo ship Katerina, which arrived at the Port of Long Beach in September 2004 equipped with pipes to bypass an important water pollution-control device, to a felony charge of obstruction of justice on February 15, 2005 in a federal court in Los Angeles, California. Effect of the guilty plea of Kallikis on the Katerina crew members designated as material witnesses; Significance of the case according to U.S. Attorney Debra W. Yang.

Reports that HAL Maritime Ltd. has agreed to plead guilty to federal charges arising out of the negligent discharge of untreated sewage into Juneau harbor in Alaska in August 2002. Cause of the discharge; Terms of the plea agreement; Background of the investigation on the incident.

Reports on the guilty plea given by chief engineers, Felipe B. Arcolas and Alfredo D. Lozada, for their role in concealing the overboard dumping of waste oil from the vessel Kent Navigator and using false log books designed to deceive the U.S. Coast Guard. Facts of the case; Actions made by the chief engineers that led to the discharge of oil into the ocean; Purpose of the Oil Record Book.

Reports on the guilty plea of Richard K. Softye, former vice president of the Operating Line Compliance at Holland America Line, for false environmental compliance reporting. Penalties issued by the court for Softye; Information on the charges filed against Carnival Corp., the parent company of Holland America in 2002.

Reports that Dutch-based shipping company Jo Tankers B.V. has agreed to plead guilty for participating in an international cartel, according to the U.S. Justice Department in 2004. Information on parcel tanker shipping; Charges filed against Jo Tankers; Details of the sentence ruled against Jo Tankers executive Hendrikus van Westenbrugge for his role in the conspiracy.

Reports on the guilty plea of Connecticut-based shipping company OMI Corp. to preparing false documents in an effort to cover up the illegal dumping of waste oil and sludge at sea. Amount of fine agreed to pay by the company; Information on the ship involved in the case; Requirements of the U.S. law for ships that enter U.S. waters.

Reports on the decision of executives Bjorn Sjaastad and Erik Nilsen to plead guilty and cooperate with the international parcel tanker shipping investigation on Odfjell Seachem AS. Details of the charges filed against the executives; Background on parcel tanker shipping; Information on the alleged anticompetitive practices in the parcel tanker shipping industry.

The article reports on the U.S. District Court in Washington's guilty verdict on derelict barge Davy Crockett owner Bret A. Simpson for two criminal violations of the US Clean Water Act in March 2013. Topics discussed include the spilling charges resulting from Simpson's oil-leaking vessel since 2010, and the government's damage response which cost more than 22.7 million dollars. Also mentioned is Simpson's sentencing to four months in prison, among other penalties.

The article reports on the guilty plea of energy company Chevron to charges of water pollution in Dorset, England in 2006. The company was directed to pay more than 19,200 U.S. dollars in expenses and fines. The British Environment Agency was notified on October 30, 2006 that Chevron's Poole terminal leaked diesel and threatened the Poole Harbour nature reserve.

This article reports on the illegal dumping of waste done by the Holy House Shipping AB, a Swedish shipping company. The company pled guilty to a two-count violation of the U.S. Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS) and making false statements to authorities. A total of U.S. $1.4 million fine plus a three-year probation sentence was imposed on the company. As part of the probation, the company was requested to implement an Environmental Management System (EMS) to prevent future waste dumping.

The article discusses a court case wherein Canadian National Railway Company (CN) pleaded guilty to oil spill charges that happened on August 3, 2005 near Wabamun, Alberta and on August 5, 2005 north of Squamish, British Columbia. The company will pay US $895,000 to settle the federal charges and an additional US $358,000 to settle the provincial charge. Chief executive Hunter Harrison said the settlements are focused on the protection of the environment.

This article reports on the move of oil company CITGO to plead guilty to charges of negligently discharging pollutants into two rivers in Louisiana in violation of the Clean Water Act in 2008. CITGO pled guilty to negligently failing to maintain storm water tanks and failing to maintain adequate storm water storage capacity at its petroleum refinery in Sulphur, Louisiana. The company was fined $13 million for the violation. It will also be required to implement an Environmental Compliance Plan (ECP).

The article reports that Australian Worldwide Exploration Ltd. (AWE), the operator of the Tui oil field off the west coast of New Zealand's North Island, has pled guilty to charges of violating the New Zealand Maritime Transportation Act. Barrels of oil-contaminated water were discharged from the floating production and fouled miles of coastline southwest of New Plymouth in Taranaki region. Also charged with violating the act is Prosafe Production, the contractor of AWE.

The article reports that Kassian Maritime Navigation Agency Ltd. has pled guilty to maintaining a false record related to illegal dumping of bilge and wastewater from the MV North Princess. The shipping company will pay a criminal fine of $1 million, and it will also be required to implement an environmental compliance program to prevent future violations. Spyridon Markou, the MV North Princess's Second Assistant Engineer, has been charged with obstruction of justice.

The article reports that South Korean company Sun Ace Shipping has been sentenced for violations of the U.S. Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships. The company pled guilty to failing to maintain an accurate Oil Record Book and falsifying records to conceal illegal discharges in September 2006. The inspectors have discovered that crew members were using hoses to bypass the oily water separator and discharge oily waste into the ocean.

Reports on the decision of a chief engineer of a tanker ship to plead guilty to his alleged role in concealing improper oil discharges, as of June 2004. Details of a U.S. governmental investigation on the case; Penalty imposed by the U.S. Coast Guard on the chief engineer for his false statements and presentation of false records during the investigation; Implications of the plea for companies and individuals operating and managing ships.

Reports on the fine imposed on Moonie Pipeline Co. after pleading guilty to a charge of causing environmental harm in a major oil spill at Lytton, Queensland in March 2003. Amount of light crude oil that leaked into hectares of reclaimed riverside land, drainage channels, and small creeks near the Port of Brisbane; Information on Australia's Environmental Protection Act.

Presents world news briefs as of August 2003. Agreement resulting from the guilty plea entered by Sabine Transportation in the U.S. District Court in Iowa, for violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Shipping; Description of the successful lifting of the first section of the vehicle carrier Tricolor, by the CBT consortium salvage team.