FILE PHOTO: a Port State Control inspection in Nine Mile Anchorage on the lower Mississippi River. U.S. Coast Guard Photo
The Chief Engineer of a Liberian-flagged bulk carrier has been sentenced to prison for environmental crimes and obstruction after pleading guilty to violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS).
Fei Wang, 38, a Chinese national, received a three-month prison sentence, three years of supervised release, and must pay a $200 mandatory special assessment fee. Wang served as Chief Engineer aboard the M/V ASL Singapore, a Chinese-owned vessel that called at the Port of New Orleans in February 2024.
U.S. Coast Guard inspectors discovered fraudulent entries in the vessel’s Oil Record Books during a port state control inspection. Wang admitted to presenting falsified records that concealed the direct discharge of oily bilge water overboard. The illegal dumping occurred from at least October 2023, when Wang joined the vessel.
Court documents revealed the crew utilized a “magic pipe” – consisting of a portable pump and flexible hose – to bypass required pollution prevention equipment and monitoring systems in violation of MARPOL regulations. The vessel’s Oily Water Separator went unused during Wang’s tenure as Chief Engineer.
“Today’s sentencing highlights the commitment of the Coast Guard Investigative Service to hold individuals accountable for violations of MARPOL, particularly in cases involving the discharge of oily waste,” said Damon J. Youmans, Special Agent in Charge, CGIS Gulf Field Office.
The investigation was conducted jointly by the Coast Guard Investigative Service and EPA Criminal Investigations Division, with support from U.S. Coast Guard Sector New Orleans. The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office General Crimes Unit.
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