Seems to be happening everywhere, including in the U.S:
Judge plans to let half of bay spill crew return to China - EarthLink - U.S. News
These crewmembers are being held as "material witnesses", presumably against the pilot of the Cosco Busan. Had their own employers not ponied up and given them hotel accommodations, they'd have been detained in jail.
I know this concerns merchant mariners, and therefore of marginal interest to recreational sailors, but it seems that more offenses (especially oil spills, no matter how caused or who "did" it) are automatically crimes, and everyone on board initially treated as criminals, with some able to go home after a long time, and some detained for years.
Venezuela, S. Korea, and yes, the U.S, among many others. I like a clean environment as well as the next guy, but why would any reasonable person seek a seagoing career these days? I'm not talking about intentional discharges, but flat-out accidents. Federal prosecutors rightly pursue the former, but then can't seem to resist pursuing the latter.