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Taiwanese Company and Ship Engineer Plead Guilty in Ocean Dumping Case

Release Date: 4/24/2003
Contact Information: John Millett
[email protected]
(202) 564-7842

April 24, 2003

On April 16 in the U.S. District Court in Seattle, Ta Tong Marine Co., Ltd., of Taiwan, pled guilty to falsifying records to conceal the intentional dumping of oil into the Pacific Ocean. On March 10, Wang Ki, Chief Engineer of the marine vessel Grand Glory, owned by Ta Tong Marine, also pled guilty to a false statement charge related to the same dumping activity. Dumping oily wastes at sea can damage fish and other marine life. The plea agreement calls for Ta Tong Marine to pay a $750,000 fine, serve four years of probation and develop an environmental compliance program. Wang Ki faces a maximum potential sentence of up to five years in prison and/or a $250,000 fine, when sentenced. The case was investigated by the U.S. Coast Guard, the Portland Area Office of EPA's Criminal Investigation Division, and the Washington State Department of Ecology. It is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Seattle.