the pollution continued for 8 months – including during transits to 16 different port calls- until the vessel reached the U.S. when the 3rd Engineer finally came forward.
If the third engineer observes another crew member breaking the law he has an obligation to report this to the captain. If the captain fail to take the appropriate action then he should notify the DPA (designated person ashore). Paying crewmembers a half a million dollars to NOT follow the chain of command aboard ship can only undermine trust among crew on all ships. Will increasing distrust, turning crew against crew cause ship operations to improve. I think it will have the opposite effect. It will make life aboard ship more unpleasant and drive away qualified people.
K.C.