UNDATED - Transport Canada has detained a container ship in Montreal after several of its crew accused the vessel of intentionally dumping up to 30 tonnes of dirty bilge waste off Newfoundland.

Officials said Friday that they were holding the MSC Trinidad after five engineers came forward earlier in the week, claiming that oily sludge was discharged over a six-hour period as the vessel passed through waters near Newfoundland.

"Right now we're focusing on investigating the allegations," spokesman Patrick Charette said in Ottawa.

"We're reviewing aerial surveillance footage to see if we can gather further evidence."

It's not clear exactly where the alleged discharge took place or if Transport aircraft would have captured any images of the spill that's alleged to have occurred at around 8 p.m. on April 24.

Transport Canada was interviewing the captain of the vessel and the five crew members who came forward with the accusations after the vessel pulled into the port of Montreal on Monday.

Patrice Caron of the International Transport Federation said he had been contacted late Monday by one of the Filipino crewmen who claimed to witness the sludge pouring from the ship.

Caron, whose union represents seafarers around the world, said third engineer Domingo Silva told him he had just come on shift when he saw tonnes of ballast water mixed with oil being piped into the ocean.

Silva said the up to five tonnes an hour were being released over a six-hour span, amounting to up to 30 tonnes of waste oil that formed a long slick behind the ship.

No one from the Mediterranean Shipping Company or Technomar Shipping Inc., which Caron said owns the vessel, was available for comment.

The Filipino crew - engineers and oilers - allege that the vessel had been outfitted with a so-called "magic pump" that diverts the waste material away from the bilge tank and directly out to sea.

Caron said vessels sometimes try to illegally dump their waste water at sea to avoid costly fees associated with disposing of it properly.

He said he's never seen crew members come forward with allegations about their vessels, since they can lose their jobs or face repercussions from their employers.

"I told him he was brave," he said from Montreal. "This guy might never sail again because he complained."

Caron said they were going to be flown home to the Philippines on Friday night following their interviews with authorities.

Charette said the vessel will be detained unless the company pays a $500,000 bond. He said federal prosecutors will review any evidence to determine if there are grounds to lay charges.

If charged and found guilty, the company could face a fine of up to $1 million under the Canada Shipping Act and the Migratory Birds Act.

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