Federal agents on Saturday boarded a vessel managed by the same company as a cargo ship that caused the deadly Baltimore bridge collapse, the FBI confirmed.
In statements, spokespeople for the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Maryland confirmed that authorities boarded the Maersk Saltoro. The ship is managed by Synergy Marine Group.
“The Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Criminal Investigation Division and Coast Guard Investigative Services are present aboard the Maersk Saltoro conducting court authorized law enforcement activity,” statements from both the FBI and U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Fucking finally.
I hope this leads to at least the US trying to actually force some kind of regulations on these giant pollution machines.
The Baltimore disaster happened because these vessels essentially always operate in international waters, and it seems like the companies who own them are really reluctant to actually do regular maintenance on them. Instead, they’re more than happy for the ships to die in whatever port they’re stuck in, and then make that the problem of whatever country/port that ship is in. The ship hit the Baltimore bridge because it was having massive problems staying online.
One could say “Maybe we shouldn’t allow broken down ships to port to begin with” but that can become cruel and unusual punishment for their crew. What follows is an example of such a horrific situation.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-56842506
“How do I feel? Like I finally got out of prison. I’m finally going to be rejoined with my family. I’m going to see them again.”
It marks the end of an ordeal which has taken its toll on Mohammed’s physical and mental health. He was, after all, condemned to a life without power, sanitation or company.
It began in July 2017, when the MV Aman was detained at the Egyptian port of Adabiya. The cargo ship was held because it had expired safety equipment and classification certificates.
It should have been easy enough to resolve, but the ship’s Lebanese contractors failed to pay for fuel and the MV Aman’s owners in Bahrain were in financial difficulty.
With the ship’s Egyptian captain ashore, a local court declared Mohammed, the ship’s chief officer, the MV Aman’s legal guardian.
This poor man had to live on a ship with no power or facilities for four years.
Anyway, somebody has to start making these companies culpable instead of essentially letting them dump their rotting carcasses of cargo ships wherever they end up stopping. Here’s hoping maybe the FBI can make a dent.
Holy fuck!!!
