Oil Tanker Engineers Plead Guilty to Charges of Concealing Vessel Pollution; Chief Engineer Also Pleads Guilty to Discharging Oily Waste Off Coast of New Jersey

Summary:

Two ship engineers from the M/T Kriti Ruby oil tanker pleaded guilty to charges related to pollution concealment and falsification of records. Chief Engineer Konstantinos Atsalis, 56, pleaded guilty to two counts of violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS) for discharging oily waste into the sea and falsifying the oil record book. Second Engineer Sonny Bosito, 54, also pleaded guilty to APPS charges for concealing oily waste discharges and falsifying the oil record book. Both engineers face a maximum penalty of six years in prison and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss resulting from the offense. Sentencing is scheduled for October 22.