Taiwanese company pleads guilty in dumping case

WASHINGTON – The Justice Department says a Taiwanese company will pay $1 million for dumping waste into Pago Pago Harbor in American Samoa.

Koo's Shipping S.A. was sentenced Thursday to three years of probation after pleading guilty in federal court in Washington to making false statements and failing to maintain an accurate oil record book.

The U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Detachment in American Samoa discovered that the crew of one of the company's ships, the M/V Syota Maru, had been discharging oily bilge waste without using required pollution prevention equipment.

The commander of the Coast Guard sector in Honolulu, Capt. Joanna M. Nunan, says it was the first conviction for dumping in American Samoa waters.

The company will pay a $750,000 criminal fine and $250,000 for environmental protection and restoration projects.