Tanker engineer found guilty in oil dumping scheme

Zao Galaxy (Source: Marine Traffic).
Zao Galaxy (Source: Marine Traffic).

A federal jury convicted a former engineer for “aiding and abetting an environmental crime and obstruction of justice.”

Publisert

RICHMOND, Calif. — Gilbert Fajardo Dela Cruz was found guilty by a federal district court for the Northern District of California.

Dela Cruz, a Philippine national, was the first engineer of the Unix Line-ran tanker Zao Galaxy when it traveled from a port in the Philippines to the port in Richmond, Calif.

Dela Cruz was indicted by the US Department of Justice, including the measure to legally punish two foreign shipping companies.

The federal judge has permitted Dela Cruz to be released on bond, pending a sentencing hearing which is scheduled for June 11, 2021.

“The crew members of the Zao Galaxy dumped oily bilge water into the ocean and then tried to cover up the environmental damage by submitting bogus paperwork to the United States Coast Guard,” reads a press statement from the Department of Justice.

“As First Assistant Engineer of an ocean-going commercial tankship, Gilbert Dela Cruz was charged with ensuring the crew would follow the rules, not try to circumvent them. This verdict will serve as a reminder that there are stiff penalties for those who try to violate federal and international rules designed to protect our precious natural resources from polluters,” the department adds.

Powered by Labrador CMS