Shipping companies slammed with nearly $2M fine after deceiving US Coast Guard — here's what you need to know
Two foreign shipping companies have been banned from doing business in the United States after committing environmental crimes.
The crimes occurred aboard the M/V ASL Singapore, a carrier owned and operated by ASL Singapore Shipping Limited and Jia Feng Shipping Limited.
According to U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson, a routine Coast Guard inspection found the ship had used a "magic pipe" — a flexible hose attached to a portable pump — to discharge oily bilge water overboard. This action violated the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, also known as MARPOL, which regulates how such waste must be disposed of.
The inspection also found that falsified oil record books had been presented to the Coast Guard in an attempt to hide that oily bilge water had been repeatedly dumped overboard since at least June 2023.
The companies pleaded guilty, resulting in the ban and a combined $1.85 million in fines. The ship's chief engineer, Fei Wang, was separately sentenced to three months in prison and three years of supervised release.
Bilge water, which gathers in the lowest part of a ship's hull, typically contains various oils and other contaminants from the ship's engine. When not disposed of properly, that oil becomes a major threat to marine life.
Even small amounts of oil can be deadly to animals. It can coat wildlife's feathers or fur, preventing birds from flying or making fur less insulating. The toxins within oil can also cause major long-term health problems.
Much of this pollution is carried out by companies that also boast about being environmentally friendly. This tactic, called greenwashing, is commonplace among polluters. Such corporations will use commercials and other public-facing means to promote green projects while continuing to damage Earth when few people are looking.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, ASL Singapore Shipping Limited has a large section on its website dedicated to its sustainability efforts.
Could America stop using oil and gas by 2050?
For sure
No way
Only certain states could
I'm not sure
Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.
The M/V ASL Singapore is not the first ship to be fined, or banned from doing business, because of its illegal dumping practices. So far this year, several Greek shipping companies have been found guilty of polluting our waters and had to pay fines of $4.5 million and $1.1 million, respectively.
There are also nonprofits, like SkyTruth, that use satellite images to detect oil pollution, which can frequently occur in remote areas of the ocean that are hard to monitor. SkyTruth's Cerulean tracking system is free for anyone to see when and where oil pollution has occurred.
Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
In roundworms smuggling case, Chinese citizen to be held in detention for now
A Chinese citizen accused of bringing biological materials related to roundworms into the country for her work at a University of Michigan laboratory has agreed to remain in federal custody. Chengxuan Han is charged with smuggling goods into the United States and making false statements. She appeared in U.S. District Court in Detroit on June 13, two days after an initial detention hearing was adjourned so her attorneys could have more time to review material regarding issues pertinent to bond. Han has been detained since she made an initial appearance June 9. One of her attorneys, Sara Garber, told the court that "(t)his is a constantly evolving situation involving a large number of factors" including the criminal charges, implications on Han's professional career, considerations in the U.S. and China, a language barrier and a need for an interpreter. "This situation is fluid. My client consents to detention without prejudice to remain in federal custody at this time," Garber told the court. "We have been working diligently on this matter." Garber had no additional comment after the hearing. A preliminary exam is set for June 30. Han appeared in court wearing an orange jumper with Sanilac County written on the back. Her dark hair was pulled back in a ponytail and she wore thin eyeglasses. Her hands were handcuffed in front of her. Han had a Mandarin Chinese interpreter, but spoke some English when answering yes or no questions posed by Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Stafford. Han put a tissue to her nose toward the end of the hearing and could be heard sniffling. She is pursing a doctoral degree from the College of Life Science and Technology in the Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, China, according to a court filing. More: Detention hearing adjourned for Chinese citizen accused in fungus smuggling case Feds: Chinese citizens charged with smuggling harmful fungus for research at U-M From September 2024 to March, the records indicated, she was listed as the sender of four packages of concealed or mis-manifested biological material addressed to two people associated with a lab at U-M. The packages did not contain the correct documentation and were not imported per U.S. Department of Agriculture or U.S. Customs and Border Protection regulations, according to an affidavit. Han arrived at Detroit Metro Airport from Shanghai on a J-1 visa June 8 and customs officers conducted an inspection and interview. She denied sending the packages to members of the lab, according to the affidavit, but when pressed, admitted to shipping them, with the materials from her research lab at the Chinese university. It indicated the packages contained plasmids and petri dishes of C. elegans (nematode worms).In a separate case earlier this month, Yunqing Jian, 33, and her boyfriend, Zunyong Liu, 34, were charged with conspiracy, smuggling goods into the United States, false statements and visa fraud. They are accused of smuggling a fungus that causes a disease in wheat, barley, maize and rice so that Liu could research the pathogen at a U-M lab where Jian works. Jian agreed June 13 to be detained during a detention hearing in federal court. Liu is accused of smuggling the fungus, identified as Fusarium graminearum, into the country at the airport in clear plastic baggies in his backpack July 27. Customs officers denied him entry and processed him for expedited removal back to China, according to an affidavit. Contact Christina Hall: chall@ Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @challreporter. Support local journalism. Subscribe to the Free Press. Submit a letter to the editor at This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: In roundworms smuggling case, Chinese citizen to be held in detention
New York Post
6 hours ago
- New York Post
American man detained in Greece over suspected double killing of infant, woman in Rome
Greek authorities detained an American man on Friday on the Greek island of Skiathos suspected of killing an infant found over the weekend in a Rome park and of having a role in the death of a woman believed to be the infant's mother, whose body was found nearby. The American, who wasn't identified, was detained on a European arrest warrant issued in Italy, citing 'strong evidence' of his suspected involvement in the death of the baby girl, chief Rome prosecutor Francesco Lo Voi told a news conference in Rome. Italian investigators said that the cause of the woman's death wasn't known, 'but there is a reasonable suspicion that it is a double murder,' deputy prosecutor Giuseppe Cascini said. 3 A firefighter truck and forensic police work at the site of the discovery of the body of an infant and the infant's mother, in Rome's Villa Pamphili park, Saturday, June 7, 2025. AP The bodies of the baby girl and mother, also believed to be American, were found in Rome's Villa Pamphili park on Saturday. The mother's body was under a black bag, having been killed several days before the infant, who was found several hundred meters away in undergrowth. Both were naked, and without any identification, Lo Voi said. The suspect, who witnesses had seen in the presence of a woman and infant, fled Italy for Skiathos on Wednesday, Lo Voi said. 3 A few feet away from the infant, the body of a woman in a closed bag was also discovered. He will be formally arrested when the warrant is forwarded to Greek officials, and will appear for an extradition hearing next week, Greek police told The Associated Press. 'It is not exactly understandable that someone who was with a woman and a baby girl, once the woman and the girl died, whom he carried in his arms, would then leave the country without calling for help, without seeking assistance,' Lo Voi said. 'In itself, that doesn't look good.' The victims' relationship with the suspect wasn't immediately clear — but video surveillance and witness reports put them together on several occasions; witnesses heard them speaking in English. They had been traced to a shelter for the needy near the Vatican, where they appeared to be a nuclear family, Corriere della Sera reported. 3 Following the deaths, police returned to the scene the following day. At one point, the pair had fought in the street, leading police to take his identity, which helped lead to him, investigators said. Authorities were able to track down the suspect thanks to fingerprints on the bag covering the woman and a scrap of a tent like ones provided to people without shelter, the newspaper said. He was located in Greece with cellphone data. According to the newspaper, the woman, who was around 30 years old, had a tattoo of a skeleton on a surfboard.
The Hill
10 hours ago
- The Hill
American man detained in Greece over suspected double killing of infant and woman in Rome
MILAN (AP) — Greek authorities detained an American man on Friday on the Greek island of Skiathos suspected of killing an infant found over the weekend in a Rome park and of having a role in the death of a woman believed to be the infant's mother, whose body was found nearby. The American, who wasn't identified, was detained on a European arrest warrant issued in Italy, citing 'strong evidence' of his suspected involvement in the death of the baby girl, chief Rome prosecutor Francesco Lo Voi told a news conference in Rome. Italian investigators said that the cause of the woman's death wasn't known, 'but there is a reasonable suspicion that it is a double murder,' deputy prosecutor Giuseppe Cascini said. The bodies of the baby girl and mother, also believed to be American, were found in Rome's Villa Pamphili park on Saturday. The mother's body was under a black bag, having been killed several days before the infant, who was found several hundred meters away in undergrowth. Both were naked, and without any identification, Lo Voi said. The suspect, who witnesses had seen in the presence of a woman and infant, fled Italy for Skiathos on Wednesday, Lo Voi said. He will be formally arrested when the warrant is forwarded to Greek officials, and will appear for an extradition hearing next week, Greek police told The Associated Press. 'It is not exactly understandable that someone who was with a woman and a baby girl, once the woman and the girl died, whom he carried in his arms, would then leave the country without calling for help, without seeking assistance,' Lo Voi said. 'In itself, that doesn't look good.' The victims' relationship with the suspect wasn't immediately clear — but video surveillance and witness reports put them together on several occasions; witnesses heard them speaking in English. They had been traced to a shelter for the needy near the Vatican, where they appeared to be a nuclear family, Corriere della Sera reported. At one point, the pair had fought in the street, leading police to take his identity, which helped lead to him, investigators said. Authorities were able to track down the suspect thanks to fingerprints on the bag covering the woman and a scrap of a tent like ones provided to people without shelter, the newspaper said. He was located in Greece with cellphone data. According to the newspaper, the woman, who was around 30 years old, had a tattoo of a skeleton on a surfboard. ___ Costas Kantouris reported from Thessaloniki, Greece.
