Chief Engineer Sentenced to Three Months in Jail in MARPOL Magic Pipe Case
A Chinese national who was the chief engineer aboard a Chinese-owned bulker was sentenced to three months in prison for MARPOL violations and obstructing the U.S. Coast Guard’s inspection by presenting false logs. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Louisiana highlighted the guilty sentence as part of its ongoing efforts to hold the individuals responsible for illegally discharging oil and other pollutants personally accountable for the actions of their ships.
The chief engineer, Fei Wange, age 38, pleaded guilty on January 24 to violating ship pollution rules and obstructing the proceedings as a result of the inspection of his vessel ASL Singapore, an 81,800 dwt bulker. Wang admitted to providing the false logs to U.S. Coast Guard inspectors hiding the discharge of oily bilge water directly overboard. He was sentenced to three months in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $200 mandatory special assessment fee.
According to court documents and statements, Wang asserted that this was done prior to his boarding the ship in October 2023 but it continues during his time aboard. The USCG contends the oily water separate was never used properly during Wang’s time as chief engineer.
“Today's sentencing highlights the commitment of the Coast Guard Investigative Service (CGIS) to hold individuals accountable for violations of MARPOL, particularly in cases involving the discharge of oily waste,” stated Damon J. Youmans, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Coast Guard Investigative Service, Gulf Field Office.
In an all-too-common practice, the crew used a portable pump and flexible hose, widely known in the industry as a “magic pipe”. To dispose of accumulated bilge water in violation of MARPOL regulations. There was no attempt to run the water through the separator. The log omitted information about the discharging of the bilge water,
The bulker arrived in New Orleans on February 26, 2024, and USCG inspectors came aboard for a standard inspection. It however resulted in a detention order for the violations. At the time the ship was managed by ASL Singapore Shipping and owned by Jia Feng Shipping with the ship registered in Liberia. The bulker was built in 2012 and according to databases has changed owners once or twice since the incident.