Nederland-Stream

The U.S. Justice Department said the Nederland Shipping Co. and Chartworld Shipping Co. pleaded guilty in a federal court in Wilmington, Del., on Oct 15, 2019, to illegally dumping oily bilge overboard and concealing the hazardous condition of the 'Nederland Reefer' from the US Coast Guard. The companies agreed to pay a $1.8 million criminal fine and will be subject to a four-year probation that includes a comprehensive environmental compliance plan for Chartworld?s ships. The compliance plan will be implemented by an independent auditing company and supervised by a court-appointed monitor, the Justice Department said. To hide the oily bilge discharges from the Coast Guard, ship?s chief engineer falsified the vessel?s oil record book, a violation of the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships. He also allegedly destroyed evidence and tampered with witnesses. Mazarakis pleaded guilty to the charges on Oct 2. The Coast Guard?s investigation of the vessel also determined that on Dec 30, 2018, seawater began entering the vessel below the waterline through a hole in the bilge tank. The companies failed to report the ship?s hazardous condition to the Coast Guard.

The federal grand jury in Wilmington returned a 6-count indictment on April 25, 2019, charging the Chartworld Shipping Corporation, Nederland Shipping Corporation & Chief Engineer of the "Nederland Reefer" according to the U.S Department of Justice. The charges stem from the falsification of records and other acts designed to cover up from the Coast Guard the overboard discharges of oily mixtures and machinery space bilge water from the reefer. On Feb 21, 2019, the "Nederland Reefer" entered the port of Delaware Bay with a false and misleading Oil Record Book available for inspection by the US Coast Guard. The Oil Record Book failed to accurately record transfers and discharges of oily wastewater on the vessel. The three defendants were all charged with failing to maintain an accurate oil record book as required by the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships. The defendants were also charged with falsification of records, obstruction of justice, and witness tampering for destroying evidence of the illegal discharges and directing lower level crew members to withhold evidence from the Coast Guard. Finally, the corporate defendants were charged with the failure to report a hazardous condition to the Coast Guard, namely a breach in the hull of the vessel and resulting incursion of seawater into tanks on board the vessel that occurred before the vessel came to port in Delaware.

A crew member of the "Nederland Reefer" suffered serious injuries on Aug 3, 2017, after falling five metres from a crane to the deck of the ship which was laid up in the River Fal. A Coastguard rescue helicopter, the Falmouth Coastguard rescue team, both Falmouth lifeboats and an ambulance team were sent to the ship at King Harry Reach at around 9.30 a.m. The Coastguard had originally thought the rescue would require a restricted access, technical rope team, and were transported to the ship on board the all weather lifeboat. Once on scene, the man was quickly located on the deck of the vessel with serious injuries. Team members worked closely with lifeboat crew members to stabilise and package the casualty ready for transport in R924. Once the winchman was connected, team members used a high line to steady the stretcher on the winch. The man was then airlifted from the deck of the ship and taken to Derriford Hospital. Report with video: http://www.falmouthpacket.co.uk/news/15457643.Crewman_falls_five_metres_from_crane_on_River_Fal_ship__VIDEO/