Public Notice: Proposed Settlement of Clean Water Act Class II Administrative Penalty; Anglo-Eastern Maritime Services Pte Ltd
Summary
EPA is providing notice of a proposed administrative penalty settlement with Anglo-Eastern Maritime Services Pte Ltd (Respondent) for violations of the Clean Water Act (CWA) from the Ninghai, a vessel that Respondent operated. EPA alleges the Respondent violated Section 402 of the CWA, 33 U.S.C. § 1342 by failing to comply with multiple conditions and limitations in the NPDES General Permit for Discharges Incidental to the Normal Operation of a Vessel, EPA-HQ-OW-2011-0411 (Vessel General Permit or VGP).
In accordance with Section 309(g) of the Clean Water Act (CWA), 33 U.S.C. § 1319(g), and the Consolidated Rules of Practice at 40 C.F.R. Part 22, EPA and Respondent have entered into a Consent Agreement and Final Order (Consent Agreement) to simultaneously commence and conclude this CWA Class II civil administrative penalty proceeding. Under the proposed Consent Agreement, Respondent will pay the United States a civil penalty of $59,000 to resolve this matter.
In the Matter of Anglo-Eastern Maritime Services Pte Ltd, CWA-09-2026-0112
Complainant: Amy C. Miller-Bowen, Director, Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Division, U.S. EPA, Region 9, 75 Hawthorne Street, San Francisco, California 94105.
Respondent: Anglo-Eastern Maritime Services Pte Ltd, 1 Pasir Panjang Road, #13-01, Labrador Tower, Singapore 118479.
Description of Business or Activity Conducted by the Respondent: The Respondent operated the Ninghai, a bulk carrier registered in Hong Kong and designated by International Maritime Organization number 9753296. The Ninghai has been in operation since 2017, is 590 feet in length, 25,569 gross tons, and has a ballast water capacity of 16,766 cubic meters. The Ninghai is a “point source” within the meaning of Section 502(14) of the Act, 33 U.S.C. § 1362(14). The Ninghai is subject to the requirements of Section 312(p) of the CWA, 33 U.S.C. § 1322(p), and the VGP. Respondent began operating the Vessel in waters of the United States in 2017 and submitted a NOI on May 15, 2017, to the EPA to seek coverage under the VGP. The NOI was assigned NPDES tracking number VPBD9045A. Respondent submitted a Notice of Termination (NOT) on April 4, 2025, to the EPA to terminate its coverage under the VGP on April 4, 2025. The NOT provided EPA notice that Respondent had transferred operational control of the Vessel to another operator on April 3, 2025.
Summary of Alleged Violations: Respondent failed to conduct at least one ballast water treatment system (BWTS) biocide residual discharge sampling event in 2020 and at least one BWTS biocide residual discharge sampling event in 2022; submitted incomplete BWTS functionality monitoring data prior to the due dates for the 2020, 2021, and 2022 annual reports; failed to submit a complete and accurate annual report in 2021; failed to report BWTS biocide residual monitoring data in the 2021 annual report; and, failed to conduct at least one BWTS biological indicator discharge sampling event between November 2022 and November 2023.
Proposed Penalty: $59,000