[BITList] More on the whistleblowe

[michael J Feltham]

‘Courageous’ whistleblower awarded $1m by US court

By : Ben Clatworthy | Marc Horne

The CARIBBEAN PRINCESS Photo : Hugo Sluimer (c) 
A secret pipe on the Caribbean Princess cruise ship was used to discharge waste into British waters
A Scottish marine engineer has been praised for his bravery and awarded $1 million by the US courts for whistle-blowing on one of the world’s biggest cruise operators, which was illegally pumping thousands of gallons of oily waste into the sea. Christopher Keays, from Glasgow, was 27 and working as the third assistant engineer on the CARIBBEAN PRINCESS in 2013 when he discovered a so-called “magic pipe” that was being used to discharge thousands of gallons of the waste into British waters. Princess Cruises, part of the giant US-based Carnival Corporation, has been handed a landmark $40 million (£31 million) fine after admitting polluting the sea and trying to cover it up. As well as Mr Keays’ $1 million reward, a quarter of the fine is earmarked for maritime conservation, with at least $1 million directed towards British projects. Mr Keays filmed and photographed the secret pipe, the tanks containing the oily bilge water and onboard computers that were manipulated to show false discharge readings. On docking in Southampton in August 2013, Mr Keays resigned and presented his evidence to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), which handed it to the US coast guard to investigate before the ship docked back in America. In a letter to the US Justice Department, Mr Keays, who studied mechanical engineering at the Glasgow College of Nautical Studies, said: “Thinking back, I had not considered the implications of my response and that my career may be over before it barely started. “The disregard for lawful practice and pollution of the sea without remorse left me with a genuine sadness, that I was at the beginning of my career in an industry so irresponsible.” Now working in Spain, he told The Times last night he was delighted finally to be vindicated. He said: “It was fantastic to be involved in something that’s done some good to protect our environment. It’s great to finally see something positive coming from this.” He added that he was pleased to get some financial security from the ruling as he was no longer working in the merchant navy. “I still work with boats but am shore based. I go to different yards and do refits,” he said. Investigators found that the 3,192-passenger Caribbean Princess had been making illegal discharges since 2005, and that once discovered senior crew on board ordered a cover-up, which included removing the “magic pipe”. The practice was also found to have been commonplace on four other ships in the company’s fleet. “Without the courageous act of a junior crew member to alert authorities to these criminal behaviours of deliberately dumping oil at sea, the global environmental damage caused by the Princess fleet could have been much worse,” Rear Admiral Scott Buschman, commander of the US Coast Guard Seventh District, told the court in Miami. In a statement, Princess Cruises said: “We are extremely disappointed about the inexcusable actions of our employees who violated our policies and environmental law. “We are very sorry that this happened and have taken additional steps to ensure we meet or exceed all environmental requirements.”Mr Keays added: “I am overwhelmed that the results of the investigation became so extensive. That the results showed lies and wrongdoing over such a long period of time gives me a great sense of relief that I acted when I did.” Source: The TimesBuschman, commander of the US Coast Guard Seventh District, told the court in Miami. In a statement, Princess Cruises said: “We are extremely disappointed about the inexcusable actions of our employees who violated our policies and environmental law. “We are very sorry that this happened and have taken additional steps to ensure we meet or exceed all environmental requirements.”Mr Keays added: “I am overwhelmed that the results of the investigation became so extensive. That the results showed lies and wrongdoing over such a long period of time gives me a great sense of relief that I acted when I did.” Source: The Times





  
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