Legal

Gremex Shipping faces USD 1.75 mil fine for concealing illegal oily bilge water discharge

Gremex Shipping, a Mexican corporation that managed “M/V Suhar”, pleaded guilty and was sentenced for creating and providing false records to conceal its illegal discharge of oily bilge waste into the ocean.

Published

1 month ago

November 5, 2024

Admin

Gremex Shipping, a Mexican corporation that managed several ships, including the M/V Suhar, pleaded guilty and was sentenced on Wednesday (30 October) in federal district court in Pensacola, Florida, for creating and providing false records to the U.S. Coast Guard to conceal its illegal discharge of oily bilge waste into the ocean.

According to the US Department of Justice, the act was a felony violation of the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS).

The charge stems from a Coast Guard investigation of the ship once it arrived in Pensacola on August 25, 2023. The Suhar is a 7,602 gross tonne Panamanian-flagged ocean-going bulk carrier that routinely hauled cement from Tampico, Mexico, to Pensacola.

Since March 2021, day-to-day operation of the ship was undertaken by Gremex, which was responsible for hiring all crew, and ensuring compliance with all policies on protection of the environment in accordance with international regulations.

After boarding the ship to determine compliance with all applicable laws, Coast Guard personnel determined that the vessel’s crew had regularly discharged untreated oily bilge water into sea in a manner that bypassed onboard pollution control equipment, and then falsified the ship’s oil record book to conceal these discharges.

As part of normal vessel operations, large ocean-going ships like the Suhar generate oily bilge water that periodically needs to be discharged for the vessel to operate safely. The United States and Panama are both parties to an international treaty known as MARPOL, which regulates and limits the at-sea discharge of oily bilge water.

To satisfy these marine pollution requirements, vessels typically discharge oily bilge water after it has been processed through an oily water separator, a piece of onboard pollution control equipment which removes oil from bilge water prior to discharge.

Ships are required to maintain an oil record book that documents all discharges of oily bilge water so authorities can monitor ships for compliance with these international requirements. Federal law requires that foreign ships arriving at U.S. ports maintain an accurate oil record book.

Consistent with a sentencing recommendation jointly proposed by the government and Gremex, the court sentenced the company to pay a USD 1.75 million fine, serve a four-year term of probation and commit to developing and implementing an environmental compliance plan that will be in effect during the time the company is on probation.

Photo credit: MarineTraffic / James Black
Published: 5 November, 2024

Related Topics:Legal - Crime Others - Environment

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Winding up

Singapore: JITF Shipping and Logistics to undergo voluntary wind up

A liquidator has been appointed at an extraordinary general meeting held on 25 November for the purpose of winding up company’s affair, according to Government Gazette notice.

Published

3 days ago

December 4, 2024

Admin

A notice in the Government Gazette was published by the Director of JITF Shipping and Logistics (Singapore) Pte Ltd on Monday (2 December), regarding a Special Resolution that was passed in relation to the winding up of the company.

The following resolution was duly passed during an an Extraordinary General Meeting of the company convened and held on 25 November 2024:

That it has been proved to the satisfaction of the meeting that the Company cannot by reason of its liabilities continue its business and accordingly the Company be wound up voluntarily and that Ms Chan Li Shan c/o Agile 8 Solutions Pte. Ltd., 133 Cecil Street #14-01 Keck Seng Tower Singapore 069535 be and is hereby appointed liquidator for the purpose of winding up the affairs of the Company.

According to SGP Business website, JITF Shipping and Logistics’s principal activity is shipping, including chartering of ships and boats with crew.

Photo credit: Drew Beamer
Published: 4 December, 2024

Winding up

Singapore: Notices of dividend issued for Xihe Holdings’ subsidiaries

Dividend notices of to Hua An Shipping, Hua Sheng Shipping, Hua Xin Shipping and Nan Sia Maritime their creditors have been posted on the Government Gazette.

Published

4 days ago

December 3, 2024

Admin

Several notices were published in the Government Gazette on Friday (29 November), regarding the first interim dividend to creditors of Xihe Holdings’ subsidiaries – Hua An Shipping Pte Ltd, Hua Sheng Shipping Pte Ltd, Hua Xin Shipping Pte Ltd and Nan Sia Maritime Pte Ltd.

The following are details of the notice of dividend of Hua An Shipping:

Name of Company : Hua An Shipping Pte. Ltd. (In Creditors’ Voluntary Liquidation)
Unique Entity No. / : 200610919Z
Address of Registered Office : c/o Grant Thornton Singapore Private Limited, 8 Marina View, #40-04/05 Asia Square Tower 1, Singapore 018960
Amount per centum (US$) : 100.00 cents to a dollar of admitted preferential claims
31.90 cents to a dollar of admitted unsecured claims
First and Final or otherwise : First Interim Dividend
When payable : 29 November 2024
Where payable : Entitlements will be made either by way of telegraphic transfer or by cheque, to be collected from the Company’s registered address as above.

The following are details of the notice of dividend of Hua Sheng Shipping:

Name of Company : Hua Sheng Shipping Pte. Ltd. (In Creditors’ Voluntary Liquidation)
Unique Entity No. / Registration No. : 200611200D
Address of Registered Office : c/o Grant Thornton Singapore Private Limited, 8 Marina View, #40-04/05 Asia Square Tower 1, Singapore 018960
Amount per centum (US$) : 100.00 cents to a dollar of admitted preferential claims
18.80 cents to a dollar of admitted unsecured claims
First and Final or otherwise : First Interim Dividend
When payable : 29 November 2024
Where payable : Entitlements will be made either by way of telegraphic transfer or by cheque, to be collected from the Company’s registered address as above.

The following are details of the notice of dividend of Hua Xin Shipping:

Name of Company : Hua Xin Shipping Pte. Ltd. (In Creditors’ Voluntary Liquidation)
Unique Entity No. / Registration No.: 200611204G
Address of Registered Office : c/o Grant Thornton Singapore Private Limited, 8 Marina View #40-04/05 Asia Square Tower 1, Singapore 018960
Amount per centum (US$) : 100.00 cents to a dollar of admitted preferential claims
19.40 cents to a dollar of admitted unsecured claims
First and Final or otherwise : First Interim Dividend
When payable : 29 November 2024
Where payable : Entitlements will be made either by way of telegraphic transfer or by cheque, to be collected from the Company’s registered address as above.

The following are details of the notice of dividend of Nan Sia Maritime:

Name of Company : Nan Sia Maritime (Pte.) Ltd. (In Creditors’ Voluntary Liquidation)
Unique Entity No. / Registration No. : 200814320Z
Address of Registered Office : c/o Grant Thornton Singapore Private Limited, 8 Marina View, #40-04/05 Asia Square Tower 1, Singapore 018960
Amount per centum (US$) : 100.00 cents to a dollar of admitted preferential claims
16.50 cents to a dollar of admitted unsecured claims
First and Final or otherwise : First Interim Dividend
When payable : 29 November 2024
Where payable : Entitlements will be made either by way of telegraphic transfer or by cheque, to be collected from the Company’s registered address as above.

Photo credit: Jo_Johnston from Pixabay
Published: 3 December, 2024

Winding up

Singapore: High Court to hear oil trader Hontop Energy winding up application

Application for the winding up of Hontop Energy (Singapore) Pte Ltd was filed by joint and several judicial managers of the company on 30 October, according to Government Gazette notice.

Published

5 days ago

December 2, 2024

Admin

An application for the winding up of Hontop Energy (Singapore) Pte Ltd was filed by joint and several judicial managers of the company on 30 October, according to Friday (29 November) notice on the Government Gazette.

It noted the winding up application is directed to be heard before the Judge sitting in the General Division of the High Court at 10am on 21 January.

Hontop Energy was one of four Singapore-based trading companies to have collapsed in 2020, together with oil traders Hin Leong and Zenrock and coal trading firm Agritrade. Hontop, which went into receivership in February, is fully owned by Chinese private-sector firm Wanda whose group assets include the 100,000 b/d Tianhong independent refinery in Shandong province.

It was previously reported that the High Court of Singapore approved Malaysian bank CIMB’s application for Hontop Energy, the trading arm of Chinese independent refiner China Wanda Holding Group Co Ltd, to be placed under judicial management.

According to the filing at the time, CIMB is looking to recover USD 105 million that it has lent to the company and Hontop owes approximately USD 470 million to seven creditors.

Lin Yueh Hung and Oon Su Sun of RSM Corporate Advisory Pte Ltd were nominated to act as the judicial managers.

According to the Government Gazette notice, any creditor or contributory of the company desiring to support or oppose the making of an order on the winding up application may appear at the time of hearing by himself or his counsel for that purpose.

A copy of the winding up application will be furnished to any creditor or contributory of the company requiring the copy of the winding up application by the undersigned on payment of the regulated charge for the same.

The Applicant's address is 8 Wilkie Road #03-08 Wilkie Edge, Singapore 228095.

The Applicant's solicitors are Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP of 9 Straits View #06-07 Marina One West Tower, Singapore 018937.

Note: Any person who intends to appear on the hearing of the winding up application must serve on or send by post to the abovenamed RAJAH & TANN SINGAPORE LLP, the Claimant’s Solicitors, notice in writing of his intention to do so. The notice must state the name and address of the person, or, if a firm, the name and address of the firm, and must be signed by the person, firm, or his or their solicitor (if any). Unless otherwise directed by the Court, the notice must be served and, if sent by post, must be posted in such sufficient time as in the ordinary course of post to reach the abovenamed at least 3 clear working days before 20 January 2025 (the day before the day appointed for the hearing of the application).