A federal judge has refused to let a shipping company plead guilty to two misdemeanor environmental crimes for an oil spill from one of its ships in San Francisco Bay.
The judge ruled Monday that if Hong Kong-based Fleet Management Ltd. wants to plead guilty, it has to admit to charges in a revised indictment.
The new indictment significantly increases the damage estimate for the spill. It says the company is responsible for at least $20 million in damage, which exposes it to a fine of as much as $40 million.
The cargo ship, Cosco Busan, spilled 53,000 gallons of oil after sideswiping the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge in 2007.
Fleet Management also has pleaded not guilty to six felony counts and faces several lawsuits.
