Page 88: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (January 1998)

OCEAN CHEMICAL CARRIERS, INC.

Public Apology

Ocean Chemical Carriers, Inc. recently pleaded guilty in Federal Court to illegally discharging approximately 60,000 gallons of oil and oil mixtures into the Atlantic Ocean, and to illegally failing to report the discharge to the United

States Coast Guard. The company was sentenced on December 5, 1997 to serve two years' probation and to pay a $50,000 fine. The company also agreed to make a $200,000 non-deductible contribution to an environmental trust fund. In addition, the company was required to conduct an internal inves- tigation, and to conduct special training of its employees to ensure that no similar crimes will be committed in the future. In a related proceeding, the captain of the vessel that discharged the pollutants admitted to giving the order to his crew to commit the crimes, and has entered into a plea agreement agreeing to plead guilty to the same charges. The captain has not yet been sentenced, he is facing a maximum possible penalty of ten (10) years imprisonment and a $500,000 fine. In addition, the captain agreed to a suspension of his license and documents for twenty-four months. As part of the company's plea and sentence, the company paid for this published apology. We hope that our plea of guilty will be a lesson to others that environmental laws must be respected.