MV Avenue Star

MV Avenue Star is a 17200DWT bulk cargo ship built in 2008.

According to a statement from the United States Attorney for the Middle District of Florida, Yavuz Mogultay was serving onboard Avenue Star as the ship's engineer when he used bypass hoses to shortcut the vessel’s pollution prevention equipment and discharge oil waste from the engine room. The United States Coast Guard discovered the oil in the ship's ballast water tank upon inspecting the vessel on October 21, 2009 at the Port of Tampa. On July 23, 2010, Mogultay plead guilty to the charges of failing to record the discharges properly and is facing a sentence of up to six years in federal prison.