MV Artvin (built 2011) 81,700-dwt panamax bulker controlled by Turkish operator, Ciner Shipping, has been accused of using a ‘magic pipe’ to dump oily waste into the sea.
MV Artvin (built 2011) was detained by the US Coast Guard in Baltimore, Maryland late last year following an inspection that led to the discovery of equipment used to bypass the vessel’s oily water separator (OWS).
“Any discharge from a ship into the sea of oil or oily mixtures shall be prohibited unless it is processed through oil processing equipment with a dilution that does not exceed 15 ppm (parts per million). During the exam it was discovered that the ship was discharging oil into the sea through an air pump, hoses and bucket bypassing the OWS.” reported by agency.
USCG said "the vessel’s crew was unable to prove proper operation of the OWS - Oily Water Separator and there were inconsistencies between sounding logs and entries in its oil record book."
The discharge of oily waste at sea is prohibited by Annex 1 of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships. In the past, magic pipe cases prosecuted by the US government have led to stiff fines against operators. In some cases, penalties have topped $1m.
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