After a four-year legal battle, Taiwan's largest container-shipping firm, Evergreen Marine Corp, yesterday confirmed it will pay a record US$25 million fine for discharging oil in international waters near US ports.
The fine is the largest ever in a case involving deliberate pollution by a marine vessel in US history, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said in a news statement on Monday.
The US Coast Guard first investigated the spill of 1,900 liters of oil into the Columbia River near Kalama, Washington, in 2001. Through vessel traffic reports and oil samples, the Coast Guard traced the spill to an Evergreen container vessel registered in Panama.
Over a three-and-half-year period, seven Evergreen ships used bypass pipes to "regularly and routinely discharge oil waste and sludge waste" into the ocean near five US ports without first treating it in an oil-water separator, according to the EPA.
Another felony charge brought by the US Department of Justice was the failure to keep an accurate Oil Record Book, a log required by both international and US law.
"Evergreen illegally discharged waste oil and then attempted to conceal its actions, thereby compounding its crimes," said Thomas Skinner, acting assistant administrator for the EPA's Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, in the statement.
"The deliberate and purposeful pollution of our oceans and America's waterways must be met with strict enforcement," Deputy Attorney General James Comey said in the statement, adding that the penalty against Evergreen was a "victory" for all Americans who enjoy and respect the environment.
The Taiwan-based maritime company, however, claimed that the Columbia River spill was an accident caused by human error.
"We have taken full responsibility for the actions of employees who failed to comply with the worldwide company policy of protecting the environment," spokesperson Barbara Yennias said.
The company argued that felony charges were undue punishment.
"We never refused to cooperate with the US authority. Nor did we intentionally discharge untreated sludge and bilge into US waters," said Tsai Jia-quien (蔡佳蒨), chief of Evergreen Marine Corp's public relations office.
The firm said it pleaded guilty as it feared that dragging out legal action may damage its business.
The charges were brought by US attorneys in Los Angeles, Seattle, Newark in New Jersey, Portland and Charleston in South Carolina.
Under the terms of the plea agreement, Evergreen will pay US$15 million to the five jurisdictions and another US$10 million for environmental community service projects.
Evergreen is also required to tag overboard valves, flanges and other equipment that would make bypassing untreated oil waste more difficult. The Evergreen Group's other three maritime companies -- Evergreen America, Greencompass Marine SA and Evergreen International -- are also bound by the decision.
The company said it would also minimize environmental pollution through the purchase of new S-type vessels -- "green ships" with double-skinned hull and fuel tanks located inside the bulkhead that reduce the risk of leakage.
NO HUMAN ERROR: After the incident, the Coast Guard Administration said it would obtain uncrewed aerial vehicles and vessels to boost its detection capacity Authorities would improve border control to prevent unlawful entry into Taiwan’s waters and safeguard national security, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday after a Chinese man reached the nation’s coast on an inflatable boat, saying he “defected to freedom.” The man was found on a rubber boat when he was about to set foot on Taiwan at the estuary of Houkeng River (後坑溪) near Taiping Borough (太平) in New Taipei City’s Linkou District (林口), authorities said. The Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) northern branch said it received a report at 6:30am yesterday morning from the New Taipei City Fire Department about a
IN BEIJING’S FAVOR: A China Coast Guard spokesperson said that the Chinese maritime police would continue to carry out law enforcement activities in waters it claims The Philippines withdrew its coast guard vessel from a South China Sea shoal that has recently been at the center of tensions with Beijing. BRP Teresa Magbanua “was compelled to return to port” from Sabina Shoal (Xianbin Shoal, 仙濱暗沙) due to bad weather, depleted supplies and the need to evacuate personnel requiring medical care, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman Jay Tarriela said yesterday in a post on X. The Philippine vessel “will be in tiptop shape to resume her mission” after it has been resupplied and repaired, Philippine Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, who heads the nation’s maritime council, said
REGIONAL STABILITY: Taipei thanked the Biden administration for authorizing its 16th sale of military goods and services to uphold Taiwan’s defense and safety The US Department of State has approved the sale of US$228 million of military goods and services to Taiwan, the US Department of Defense said on Monday. The state department “made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale” to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US for “return, repair and reshipment of spare parts and related equipment,” the defense department’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a news release. Taiwan had requested the purchase of items and services which include the “return, repair and reshipment of classified and unclassified spare parts for aircraft and related equipment; US Government
More than 500 people on Saturday marched in New York in support of Taiwan’s entry to the UN, significantly more people than previous years. The march, coinciding with the ongoing 79th session of the UN General Assembly, comes close on the heels of growing international discourse regarding the meaning of UN Resolution 2758. Resolution 2758, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1971, recognizes the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as the “only lawful representative of China.” It resulted in the Republic of China (ROC) losing its seat at the UN to the PRC. Taiwan has since been excluded from