An engineering aboard AP Moller’s 35,639-cbm LPG carrier Jane Maersk (built 1990) faces a potential 20-year jail term after pleading guilty to falsifying waste discharge records.

Dane Johnnie Nielsen, 35, has admitted hiding and destroying documents regarding waste discharges from the Jane Maersk, according to the US Department of Justice.

During a port control inspection in May Nielsen admitted to US Coast Guard (USCG) officials that he destroyed key pages in the ship’s waste oil and sludge log.

The USCG inspectors initially became suspicious after discovering oil in the discharge side of the Jane Maersk’s oily water separator.

Nielsen will be sentenced in October when he could face a potential fine of up to $250,000 as well as the jail sentence.