US Cruise Line Fined $20 Million After Dumping Trash Into The Ocean

Dec 18, 2019 by apost team

Cruise line giant, Carnival Corp was recently fined for environmental violations following an incident where one of their cruise ships dumped waste into the ocean. Ocean dumping is illegal and supposed to be disposed of by ships in a managed way that allows for waste to be treated.

When incidents like this happen, ships are required to immediately notify authorities, but not only did the cruise line fail to do so, but they also kept inaccurate records about the waste dumps that occurred.

Carnival Corp owns several cruise lines, and it was Princess Cruises that was fined twenty million dollars for dumping trash in the ocean. The incident occurred in 2017, and while the trash dumping itself was an issue big enough to warrant the fine, the authorities also found that the cruise ship only addressed environmental issues prior to inspections.

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In addition to the fine that was handed down to the cruise line, a settlement was made to ensure that the company would improve methods, training, and work with authorities to ensure this did not happen again. More ship inspections to ensure compliance will happen throughout the year, and the company is required to put more effort into ensuring that all standards are met by the cruise lines it operates. Finally, an improved onboard waste management system is to be created by the company in order to ensure the minimum impact to the environment.

Carnival Corp claims that it aims to comply with all regulations and has procedures in place to ensure that the environment is protected at all times. However, in this instance the crew did not handle ship waste in the intended way which led to the violation occurring. While these claims and statements were made, it was not the first time the company has been fined or on probation for similar incidents. 

According to Bloomberg, earlier in the year, a cruise ship operated by the company dumped oil into the ocean and was given a forty million dollar fine. When the second environmental violation for dumping into the ocean was made, the cruise company was already on probation and subject to increased inspections.

Even though these fines and inspections have been handed to the cruise line, the issues that need attention don't seem to be at the top of their list. Do you think fines and inspections are enough, or can there be another way to regulate cruise lines.