FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ENR MONDAY, AUGUST 29, 1994 (202) 514-2007 NOTICE TO EDITORS AND CORRESPONDENTS The owners of the passenger cruise ship Viking Princess are scheduled to appear in federal court in Miami, Florida, at 10 a.m. Tuesday, August 30, to be sentenced for dumping waste oil as close as three-and-a-half miles off the coast of Palm Beach, Florida. The owners, who pleaded guilty June 3, 1994, have agreed to pay a half-million dollar fine and to establish a court supervised environmental compliance program, which includes participation of an independent environmental expert. U.S. District Court Judge Stanley Marcus, however, is not bound by that agreement. This is the first criminal case brought under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, which was enacted after the Exxon Valdez oil spill. The Viking Princess was caught in a pro-active multi-agency effort known as Operation Overboard which included special sensors aboard Coast Guard jets and Coast Guard vessels manned by the Environmental Protection Agency and the FBI. During Operation Overboard, a Coast Guard jet filmed the Viking Princess discharging a 2.5 mile oil slick approximately 3.5 miles off the coast of Palm Beach. At Tuesday's hearing, the Justice Department and the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida expect to describe new information including related misconduct involving the Viking Princess. The Viking Princess is a Panamanian-flag passenger cruise ship in excess of 6,420 tons. It is owned and operated by Palm Beach Cruises, S.A. United States law prohibits unlawful oil discharges within twelve miles of U.S. shores. Oil can cause damage to the marine environment. Aerial videotape of incidents involving the Viking Princess will be available. Press organizations wishing more information or copies of court documents should contact Theresa Corbin in the U.S. Attorney's office in Miami, Florida, at (305) 536-5242 or Joe Krovisky at (202) 616-2765. ##### 94-493