Two international shipping companies plead guilty today (Thursday) to illegally dumping waste from vessels that docked in local ports.

The case involved four ships that intentionally disposed of thousands of tons of oil waste and engine sludge in ocean waters. The ships visited ports in New Jersey, Delaware, and Northern California. The plea deal includes a $10 and a half million fine and 4 years probation. U. S. attorney Paul Fishman says this kind of flagrant disregard of the environment will not be tolerated.

“The department of justice estimates that routine and intentional discharge of waste oil and sludge result in eight times as much oil being dumped into the oceans every year as was spilled by the Exxon Valdez.”

Fishman says over $2 million of the fine will go toward restoring and preserving shore areas devastated by Sandy. This is the largest settlement of its kind in New Jersey.