CARNIVAL Cruise Line President Christine Duffy.
By EARYEL BOWLEG
Tribune Staff Reporter
ebowleg@tribunemedia.net
CARNIVAL Cruise Line President Christine Duffy says the corporation’s “number one priority” is compliance and care for the environment.
Her comment yesterday was a response to The Tribune regarding reports from a local daily about the probability of penalties or sanctions against Carnival Cruise Line.
A US court mandated report released in 2019 revealed the company dumped hundreds of thousands of gallons of treated sewage and more than 8,000 gallons of food waste in Bahamian waters in 2017.
The Ministry of Transport and Local Government had previously said it found the allegations disturbing and that the Port Department and the Bahamas Maritime Authority would investigate the allegations. Yet, the outcome of the investigation has not been made public.
When this newspaper asked the Carnival official yesterday if the company accepts possible sanctions and what the company would do in the future to improve, Ms Duffy said the company is taking measures to take care of the environment.
“Carnival Corporation is committed,” Ms Duffy said “Our number one priority is compliance and care for the environment. The work that we are doing, the investment we are making to ensure that we can operate sustainably as we have made investment on our newest ships with LNG technology and any lessons that we have learned we have incorporated into our commitments as we move forward to ensure that we keep everyone healthy, safe and, including the destinations that we bring our ships to. That’s a number one priority for our entire corporation.”
Transport Minister Jobeth Coleby-Davis recently spoke to the media about the government’s investigation into Carnival’s dumping in Bahamian waters.
“I was advised that the office had handed that investigation over to the DEPP (Department of Environmental Planning and Protection), who has to carry out and complete the environmental portion of that report, so that they can determine what sanctions would be placed on Carnival,” Mrs Coleby-Davis said.
“And, so, I think the discussion now lies with the DEPP and the Office of the Attorney General to determine what the penalties will be as it relates to Carnival. So my office just did the investigation along with them because it falls under us when it’s those sorts of incidents, but as it relates to the environmental portion and the penalties, that would go to the DEPP.”
Comments
tribanon 2 years, 6 months ago
Carnival paid millions and millions of dollars to the State of Florida in fines and penalties for repeat offenses in dumping hazardous contaminants and shiit in our territorial waters, but has not paid The Bahamas one red cent towards restitution. And just about every resident of The Bahamas with a private pilot's license who has been flying on a fairly regular basis over the last 30+ years has witnessed countless instances of these illegal discharges into our waters.
And just ask any of the retired and current pilots of Bahamasair for corroboration of the many illegal discharges by these cruise ships while they sail between The Bahamas and South Florida.
These facts alone should tell us all something about the extent to which the corrupt and very remorseless cruise ship industry now 'own' our corrupt and incompetent political ruling class, whether they be of the FNM or PLP persuasion.
The corrupt cruise ship industry is an economic and polution burden our nation can no longer afford to bear. We are paying a dear price for not having long ago pivoted away from sea arrival visitors to air arrival visitors. Our dumb arse incompetent elected officials have never understood that these monstrous floating hotels are actually our most ruthless competitors in the tourism industry. The "all-for-them" business model of the cruise ship owners and operators literally sucked the life blood out of Downtown Nassau many years before the pandemic came along. Wake up Bahamians!
ScubaSteve 2 years, 6 months ago
Number one priority is the environment and compliance?!?!?!?!? That is a bold face LIE. As a publicly traded company, their number one priority is increasing their shareholder's value and increasing the stock price of the stock. All other priorities fall way, way down on the list after profits, revenue, and increasing the share price of the stock. Saying that the environment is priority number one is the farthest thing from the truth!!!!!!
TalRussell 2 years, 6 months ago
I'd position Carnival Cruise Line President Comrade Sister Christine Duffy saying the corporation’s “number one priority” is compliance and care for duh environment, right out there cruising alongside denials of former KGB intelligence officer, Comrade Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin's $1 billion 459ft Mega Superyacht, has not altered its course be heading into UK Colonys' territorial seawaters, ― Yes?
Baha10 2 years, 6 months ago
This Woman should resign out of respect for the Bahamian People if the Environment is truly Carnival’s first and foremost priority … but she won’t as Carnival is the “worst of the worst”, so instead our Penalty should be settlement of our National Debt, failing which a complete Ban of ALL Carnival “Group” (ie. all Brands) Ships from our territorial waters … something tells me we might finally be debt free!
Proguing 2 years, 6 months ago
Good article about cruise ship pollution:
https://www.geekyexplorer.com/cruise-sh…
tribanon 2 years, 6 months ago
Thanks
rosiepi 2 years, 6 months ago
The history of the cruise lines action/inaction coupled with that of the government of the Bahamas has been one of greed and complacency. We’re nothing more than dumping grounds, and the overeagerness of our corrupt officials as they line up at this trough an embarrassment that dogs every attempt to turn the tide of the disaster we’ve created. Every new ‘Act’, committee, and department have proven to be just a means to mire any good faith efforts by kicking every issue down an endless road of bureaucracy and made instantly redundant by refusing to grant any of these waystations the teeth, the power to fulfill their so called mission. We continue to kill our golden goose and we allow our egos to be stroked by those who blame everyone but ourselves.
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