Another shipping company faces 'Magic Pipe' charges

Another shipping company faces 'Magic Pipe' charges
Penalties faced include $500,000 and imprisonment for 2nd Engineer

Yet another shipping company is facing charges in the US regarding improper waste disposal and the use of a 'magic pipe'.

Kassian Maritime Navigation and Spyridon Markou, Second Engineer aboard the mv NORTH PRINCESS were indicted following a US coast guard inspection in Jacksonville, Florida in November 2006.

The ship's operators are charged with illegal dumping of bilge and waste water in violation of the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS), making false statements to U.S. Coast Guard inspectors, and obstruction of justice in relation to the Coast Guard's inspection.

Mr Markou is also charged with obstruction after allegedly giving false evidence with regards to the use of an illegal bypass pipe, used to transfer oil-contaminated waste overboard.

If found guilty Kassian Maritime could face penalties up to $500,000 in fines whilst engineer Markou is looking at a maximum of five years imprisonment.

The bypass pipe is popularly referred to as the 'magic pipe' and between its use to bypass oil water separators on board the ship plus falsification of ships' logs, many ship operators have fallen foul of US law.

In 2006 MSC of Hong Kong, Wallenius, MK Shipmanagement, Pacific-Gulf Marine, Sun Ace Shipping Co and Overeas Shipholding Group all pled guilty to charges relating to use of a 'magic pipe' and falsifying records.

The NORTH PRINCESS has had a relatively clean bill of health before this, the last time she failed any inspections was back in 2005 in the USA