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William Mercer, acting associate U.S. attorney general, said OSG had engaged in "repeated and deliberate pollution of our oceans," and a statement signed by the company detailed six years of illegal dumping and attempts to conceal the violations.

Crew members on several OSG tankers intentionally bypassed equipment designed to measure the flow of oil out to sea, the company acknowledged. An international treaty, of which the U.S. is a party, limits such pollution to 15 parts per million, and federal law requires ships to record their oil discharges for inspection by the Coast Guard.

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Overseas Shipholding Group Inc., a large petroleum-shipping firm, admitted to dumping waste oil from its tankers and falsifying records as part of a $37 million settlement with the U.S. government.

A joint statement signed by the company described OSG employees tampering with equipment meant to measure oil discharges, dumping oil at night to avoid detection, and writing bogus entries in logs the company was required to keep on discharges.

The company agreed to plead guilty to 33 felony counts that included oil dumping, conspiracy, making false statements and obstruction of justice. OSG, based in New York, will pay a criminal fine of $27.8 million and contribute $9.2 million to marine environmental projects.

William Mercer, acting associate U.S. attorney general, said OSG had engaged in "repeated and deliberate pollution of our oceans," and a statement signed by the company detailed six years of illegal dumping and attempts to conceal the violations.

OSG said in a news release that the full amount of the settlement had already been set aside and would not have a "material financial impact" on its business. The company also agreed to a three-year probation to be monitored by court-appointed officials and independent auditors. A spokesman said the company was limiting its discussion of the case to the news release.

One former senior engineer for OSG has pleaded guilty to criminal charges in connection with the dumping, and another has been indicted, the government said.

The company admitted to dumping oil from nine of its tankers between 2001 and 2006, though the total amount of pollution was unclear. One ship, the M/T Uranus, intentionally dumped about 150,000 gallons of oil-contaminated waste in U.S. waters off the coasts of Maine and Massachusetts, the government's investigation found.

Crew members on several OSG tankers intentionally bypassed equipment designed to measure the flow of oil out to sea, the company acknowledged. An international treaty, of which the U.S. is a party, limits such pollution to 15 parts per million, and federal law requires ships to record their oil discharges for inspection by the Coast Guard.

The government credited OSG with assisting the investigation and voluntarily disclosing violations on six vessels, thereby lowering its penalty.

The company owns and operates 135 vessels, which mainly transport petroleum.