There are many different types of whistleblower cases, and one of the lesser-known examples is associated with ocean pollution. Shipping and cruise vessels regularly dump garbage and oil-based pollutants into our seas, defying legal standards for waste disposal and sometimes even falsifying “Oil Record Books” for their discharges. As nations are working together to minimize ocean pollution and preserve vital ecosystems, illegal ocean dumping can be a major setback for these efforts.
In order to help bring incidents of wrongful waste disposal to light, the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS) contains a whistleblower provision that allows for the U.S. government to monetarily reward people in the maritime industry who report these abuses. The whistleblower compensation may be as high as fifty percent of the penalty fine on the guilty parties - a considerable amount as these cases often settle for millions of dollars.