Guam - The South Pacific Tuna Corporation is in hot water with the U.S. Coast Guard. According to a media release Coast Guard Sector Guam levied fines against the company for eight separate violations of federal law. The company was found to be using unlicensed foreign personnel to illegally fill the roles of chief mate and chief engineer on U.S. flagged vessels.

The violations were determined to have occurred in March 2012 on five of the company's 14 purse seine vessels while conducting dockside vessel safety examinations in Pohnpei.