Tag: maritime crime

Freight crime in Italy has surged dramatically, with theft incidents quadrupling in the past two years, according to a report by TT Club, BSI SCREEN, and TAPA EMEA.

On October 4, 2024, Spanish and French security forces conducted an operation against a Tanzanian-flagged vessel near the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean, seizing approximately 4 tons of cocaine.

According to the US Department of Justice (DOJ), two shipping companies were sentenced to pay a $2 million criminal penalty and complete four years of probation for illegally discharging oil into the ocean.

The Information Fusion Centre (IFC) reports that in the first half of 2024, it recorded a total of 1095 incidents, a 27% decrease from the same period in 2023 (1500 incidents), which is likely due to increased enforcement efforts, leading to fewer MARSEC Incidents at sea. 

According to U.S. Department of Justice, two related companies that operated the motor tanker PS Dream – Prive Overseas Marine LLC and Prive Shipping Denizcilik Ticaret – pleaded guilty. As explained the companies pleaded guilty to conspiracy, knowingly violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS) and obstruction of justice related to the falsification of the tanker’s Oil Record Book, which is a required log. The guilty pleas were entered in federal court in New Orleans before Chief U.S. District Court Judge Nannette Jolivette Brown. If the court approves the plea agreement, the companies will be fined a total of $2 million and serve four years of probation. Separate charges have been filed against Captain Abdurrahman Korkmaz, a Turkish national who was the ship’s master. The criminal case stems from the report of a crew member who, on Jan. 11, 2023, contacted the Coast Guard in New Orleans, which was the next port-of-call, and shared a video showing oil being pumped overboard and trailing behind the tanker. When the ship arrived in New Orleans two weeks later, this individual and another crew member blew the whistle and provided evidence to the Coast Guard. Video and photographic images were filed ...

According to European Commission, new rules to protect the environment through criminal law will enter into force on May 20. 

Two ship engineers pleaded guilty on May 7, to charges related to concealing pollution and falsifying records onboard an oil tanker near a petroleum terminal in Sewaren, New Jersey.

West P&I Club's Correspondent, A&A Multiprime Corp, has released its 2024 Colombia Drug Smuggling Report, offering a thorough analysis of the shifting challenges encountered by authorities and the maritime industry in their efforts to combat narcotics trafficking.

The IMO Legal Committee meets in person for its 111th session (LEG 111) from 22 to 26 April 2024, where various legal matters will be discussed. 

India has submitted three papers to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), in view of the upcoming 111th Session of the Legal Committee (LEG), asking the Organization to address current issues regarding the security and contracting terms of seafarers.