Tag: US Department of Justice

US Department of Justice has announced that the former president of Sea Star Line LLC, a Jacksonville, Fla.-based water freight carrier, was sentenced to serve five years in prison and to pay a $25,000 criminal fine

For the murder of four Americans aboard SV Quest

Greek Shipping company convicted in Magic Pipe case

Guilty to Destruction of Evidence Halliburton Energy Services Inc. has agreed to plead guilty to destroying evidence in connection with the Deepwater Horizon disaster, the US Department of Justice announced.According to court documents, on April 20, 2010, while stationed at the Macondo well site in the Gulf of Mexico, the Deepwater Horizon rig experienced an uncontrolled blowout and related explosions and fire, which resulted in the deaths of 11 rig workers and the largest oil spill in U.S. history. Following the blowout, Halliburton conducted its own review of various technical aspects of the well's design and construction.On May 3, 2010, Halliburton established an internal working group to examine the Macondo well blowout, including whether the number of centralizers used on the final production casing could have contributed to the blowout. A production casing is a long, heavy metal pipe set across the area of the oil and natural gas reservoir.Centralizers are protruding metal collars affixed at various intervals on the outside of the casing. Use of centralizers can help keep the casing centered in the wellbore away from the surrounding walls as it is lowered and placed in the well.Centralization can be significant to the quality of subsequent cementing around ...

Shipping Firms Sentenced to Pay $10.4 Million for Concealing Vessel Pollution

Shipping Corporations to Pay $10.4 Million for Environmental Crimes on Four Ships

Somali Pirates Convicted for Attack of the USS Ashland

Singapore-Based Shipping Company to Pay $2.2 Million for Covering up Oil Pollution

Second Corporate Guilty Plea Obtained by Deepwater Horizon Task Force Transocean Deepwater Inc. pleaded guilty to a violation of the Clean Water Act (CWA) for its illegal conduct leading to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster, and was sentenced to pay $400 million in criminal fines and penalties, Attorney General Holder announced yesterday.In total, the amount of fines and other criminal penalties imposed on Transocean are the second-largest environmental crime recovery in U.S. history - following the historic $4 billion criminal sentence imposed on BP Exploration and Production Inc. in connection with the same disaster."Transocean's guilty plea and sentencing are the latest steps in the department's ongoing efforts to seek justice on behalf of the victims of the Deepwater Horizon disaster," said Attorney General Holder. "Most of the $400 million criminal recovery - one of the largest for an environmental crime in U.S. history - will go toward protecting, restoring and rebuilding the Gulf Coast region.""The Deepwater Horizon explosion was a senseless tragedy that could have been avoided," said Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department's Criminal Division. "Eleven men died, and the Gulf's waters, shorelines, communities and economies suffered enormous damage. With today's guilty plea, BP and ...

US Files Lawsuit in Louisiana Against Oil and Gas Company Alleging Unlawful Discharge of Oil in Gulf