Working Conditions Aboard the Nederland-Stream

In a significant development, the U.S. Justice Department announced that Nederland Shipping Co. and Chartworld Shipping Co. entered guilty pleas in a federal court session held in Wilmington, Delaware, on October 15, 2019. The charges stemmed from the companies' illegal practices of discharging oily bilge into the sea and concealing the hazardous state of their vessel, the 'Nederland Reefer', from the United States Coast Guard. As part of their sentencing, the firms will pay a hefty criminal fine of $1.8 million and will be monitored under four years of probation, during which Chartworld's ships must adhere to a comprehensive environmental compliance plan. This plan will be enforced by an independent auditing firm under the supervision of a court-appointed monitor, as stated by the Justice Department. Evidence revealed that the chief engineer of the 'Nederland Reefer' had falsified the vessel’s oil record book to cover up the illegal discharges, contravening the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships. This individual also faced allegations of destroying evidence and tampering with key witnesses. Adding to the severity of the situation, an investigation by the Coast Guard uncovered that on December 30, 2018, seawater began to flood the vessel through a breach in the bilge tank, which the companies neglected to report to the Coast Guard.

A federal grand jury in Wilmington has issued a significant indictment with six counts against Chartworld Shipping Corporation, Nederland Shipping Corporation, and the Chief Engineer of the 'Nederland Reefer,' as announced by the U.S. Department of Justice on April 25, 2019. The indictment focuses on allegations of record falsification, which concealed overboard discharges of oily mixtures and machinery space bilge water from the authorities, specifically the U.S. Coast Guard. On February 21, 2019, the 'Nederland Reefer' arrived at Delaware Bay carrying an inaccurate Oil Record Book, which was intended for inspection by Coast Guard officials. This book failed to adequately document the transfers and discharges of oily wastewater associated with the vessel. The indictment lays out multiple charges against the three individuals for not maintaining a truthful oil record book as mandated by the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships. Additionally, the defendants faced serious allegations including falsifying records, obstructing justice, and witness tampering, following their acts of destroying evidence of the illegal discharges and instructing lower-level crew members to suppress information from the Coast Guard. Moreover, the corporate entities were charged with neglecting to report a critical hazard: a breach in the hull that allowed seawater to infiltrate the tanks onboard prior to the vessel’s docking in Delaware.

On August 3, 2017, a crew member aboard the Nederland Reefer sustained significant injuries after plummeting five meters from a crane to the ship's deck. This incident occurred while the vessel was moored in the tranquil waters of the River Fal. Emergency services responded promptly to the scene at King Harry Reach, dispatching a Coastguard rescue helicopter, the Falmouth Coastguard rescue team, both Falmouth lifeboats, and an ambulance crew around 9:30 a.m. Initially, the Coastguard anticipated that the rescue might necessitate a specialized technical rope team due to the restricted access conditions, leading them to make the trip to the ship aboard the all-weather lifeboat. Once on-site, rescuers swiftly located the injured man on the deck. Emergency personnel collaborated with the lifeboat crew to stabilize the patient and prepare him for evacuation in R924. Utilizing a high line for safety, team members fastened the stretcher to the winchman before executing the airlift. The injured crew member was then transported from the ship's deck and taken to Derriford Hospital for urgent medical attention. For more details, watch the report with video [here](http://www.falmouthpacket.co.uk/news/15457643.Crewman_falls_five_metres_from_crane_on_River_Fal_ship__VIDEO/).