A Connecticut-based shipmanager has pleaded guilty to criminal charges after deliberately discharging more than 10,000 gallons of oily bilge water into US waters near New Orleans, in violation of federal pollution laws. Eagle Ship Management, headquartered in Stamford, admitted to illegally pumping the waste from the Gannet Bulker without using pollution prevention equipment and to falsifying records to cover up the act.

The discharge occurred near the southwest passage of the Mississippi River, at an anchorage close to the port of New Orleans, following a failed repair that flooded the engine room. A whistleblower’s social media post on March 14, 2021, triggered a US Coast Guard investigation that exposed the violations.

The company also acknowledged retaliating against the whistleblower, obstructing justice, destroying evidence, and fabricating documents. As part of the plea deal, Eagle could face a $1.75m fine and four years of probation, including mandatory third-party audits.

The vessel’s chief engineer was previously sentenced to over a year in prison in a different case. The court is expected to rule on the proposed penalties in the coming weeks.