Carnival’s catalogue of ocean dumpings

The Carnival Elation ship.

As of Tuesday, April 23, 2019

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

CARNIVAL Corporation, the multi-billion-dollar company set to construct a mega port in East Grand Bahama’s eco-sensitive zone, has broken international environmental laws many times in Bahamian waters, according to a newly-released court mandated report.

The report, which covers April 2017 to April 2018 and was prepared by a US court-appointed monitor, reveals how Carnival illegally dumped hundreds of thousands of treated sewage in Bahamian waters along with more than 8,000 gallons of food waste.

“For example, between June 4-16, 2017, the Carnival Elation (ship) discharged approximately 1,270 cubic metres of treated sewage and 22 cubic metres of food waste in Bahamian archipelagic waters in violation of MARPOL and company requirements,” the report says. “Likewise, on June 15, 2017, the Carnival Conquest, Carnival Liberty, Carnival Magic and Carnival Vista made prohibited discharges of sewage and food waste in Bahamian archipelagic waters. According to the company, the cause of these events ‘appears to be associated with the interpretation of procedure.’”

The report documented more than a dozen incidents.

“While anchored at Half Moon Cay (within the Bahamas archipelagic baseline),” it reported, “a plastic bin containing a plastic bag and non-comminuted food waste fell into the sea due to it being not properly secured to a pallet. Incident occurred when one local tender was transferring back to ship the food waste generated on the island. Half Moon Cay does not have a waste facility and hence all food waste that is generated on the island by the ships guest are brought back on board to be disposed of by the ship. The plastic bin, waste bag, and some food waste was recovered but approximately 15 pounds of food waste could not be recovered.”

The effects on the environment of much of Carnival’s unlawful actions are unclear. The court-appointed monitor said the violations were unintentional. The International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) dictates when and where ships can release comminuted food waste and treated or untreated sewage into the sea. It specifies rules for how such materials must be discharged.

According to the Miami Herald, separate court documents show that the Carnival Conquest ship illegally dumped 66,000 gallons of ballast water into Bahamian waters in November 2018. The release of untreated ballast water could introduce invasive species into an environment, devastating local ecosystems. It is not clear if the ballast water released in local waters was treated. The Miami Herald wrote: “In that case, the engineer involved offered to falsify records to make it look like the dump happened at open sea to his superior, who instructed him to report it correctly.”

In December 2016, the Princess Cruise Lines, a subsidiary of a Carnival Corporation, pled guilty to seven felony counts related to vessel pollution and efforts to conceal that pollution, one count of conspiracy, four counts of failure to maintain accurate records and two counts of obstruction of justice. The cruise line had to pay a $40 million criminal penalty, the largest ever for deliberate vessel pollution. A five-year term of probation was applied that requires all ships from eight Carnival cruise lines to participate in a supervised environmental compliance programme. The company is required to retain an outside independent third party auditor and to fund a court-appointed monitor.

A US federal judge recently threatened to stop Carnival Corporation from docking its ships in US ports as punishment for its possible probation violation. Court filings show Carnival Corp sought to avoid unfavourable findings by preparing ships ahead of audits and by falsifying records, among other things. At a scheduled June hearing, US District Judge Patricia Seitz is expected to decide whether to revoke Carnival’s probation and punish the company.

In February, Carnival announced plans to develop the world’s largest cruise port in East Grand Bahama. The facility would be able to accommodate two of their largest ships at the same time. The company is leasing 329 acres of land in an area known as Sharp Rock in East Grand Bahama, which is known as an eco-sensitive zone.

Carnival Corporation executive Giora Israel recently said the company is big on protecting the environment, and promised that Carnival would not harm the environment during the construction phase, and would preserve 110 acres as a natural wetland.

Sam Duncombe, president of reEarth environmental group, said yesterday: “Carnival has been caught. What about the ships that have not been caught? Who is out there watching what goes on? It’s a cost to this country that we certainly cannot afford. We make our living because of environment and if we keep ripping out mangroves and dumping all of our garbage and sewage into our oceans that bring people here we’re not going to have a tourism industry.”

More like this story

TalRussell 5 years, 6 months ago

Yes, yes a comrade's discharging 'shit' warnings about Freeport's newest in bed partnership with Imperial red shirts governing regime have now failed environmental sniff test certified by another government who should know them best, yes, no.... And, how is commish Policeman's search for the OBAN Report now gone 'missing' for one long year in time from the protective custody Imperial red shirts cabinet's custody, yes, no..... And, does Queens Colony of Out Island's actually employ an environmental minister act on discharging 'shit' stuff in we waters in name we beloved Queen's crown, yes, no.... And, I guess it "it depends on what the meaning of 'missing' ‘is’ is, yes, no?

FreeportFreddy 5 years, 6 months ago

John 5 years, 6 months ago

And yet the Bahamas are granting these companies permission to build their own private ports throughout the country when they do not have the means or the manpower to monitor their activities in port or out-to-sea. And if they are conducting themselves in this callous and reckless manner. Are we willing to sacrifice our marine resources and mass pollution by giving in to the cruise ships demands for private port facilities? In some parts of the world marine resources are already presenting with diseases and other anomolities including cancerous tumours due to high levels of pollution. So how much more dumping or how much longer before the seafood starts making people sick? Conch is already an endangered species. And conch poisoning, because of their feeding habits is already too common.

TalRussell 5 years, 6 months ago

Yes, yes, luckily Colony of Out Island's governing Imperials intelligence hasn't reached level sufficient espionage experience to cause a US Environmental Assessment Report to explainable go 'missing' from protective custody foreign government, yes, no...... And. there is outstanding OBAN matter we commish policeman's after a long year investigation confesses he has not damn clue where it gone 'missing' yes, no.... And, what did current minister environment know - and how far back, about "shit' stuff dumped into our Colony of Out Islands waters, yes, no.... was 'shit' matters even brought up before the signing of Letter of Intent, yes, no?

MaryMack53 5 years, 6 months ago

It can't be any clearer. These big monstrosities of water hotels don't value our country and the beauty that it has to offer. Instead, they're going out of there way to destroy our ecosystem because they darn right don't care. The carnival and we're sure many other cruise ships do the same thing. We have managed to give them multi-million dollar cays and pretty much everything that they have asked and they still literally "shit" on us. They need to be banned indefinitely!

TalRussell 5 years, 6 months ago

Yes, yes it is this knee high in 'shit' bunch comrade Imperial red shirts entire contingent "FREE" port and surrounding constituencies under failed representation Imperial red shirts MP's and political appointees - have now officially been placed on crutches by 82.99% so many thousands disappointed 2017 red shirts voters,yes, no.... seems everything red shirts touches does eventually turns into separate piles 'shit' - yes, no... Shouldn't "FREE" porters be told if this 'shit' matter was even brought up before any Letter of Intent's signings. yes, no......... And, now we know why Seller the Grand Lucayan Hotel wanted keep all opened and unopened rolls toilet papers for they own crap wiping selves, yes, no?

Clamshell 5 years, 6 months ago

Uh, Tal ... you seem to imply that there were no cruise ships or crooked hotel deals in the Bahamas when the Yellow Shirts held sway. Uh ... yeah ... sure.

How many MP’s do you now have? 3? 4? ROFLMAO.

TalRussell 5 years, 6 months ago

Yes, yes ma comrade Clamshell. the toilet papers plot suspicion had have been there all the while cause why else would've Grand Lucayan Hotel's seller Whampoa been so determined repossess every single opened and unopened rolls toilet papers, yes, no,,,,, And ma comrade, you does understand that the repossessed ALL rolls opened and unopened toilet papers out Grand Lucayan is not a story I just made up, yes, no?

Clamshell 5 years, 6 months ago

Somehow, Tal, I think the toilet paper is the least of the issues in that hotel deal. Although I can understand that the staff might have felt cheated out of what is a Bahamian worker’s right — the right to loot a distressed property of everything that’s not nailed down.

If somebody cheated you and the PLP out of a half-roll of toilet paper that you felt you deserved, you have my condolences. Post your address here, I’ll send you an 8-pack. 🤣

TalRussell 5 years, 6 months ago

Yes, yes IT IS ma Comrade Clamshelly that fundamentally I don't think the 15,936 voting in red shirts MP's in "FREE" port and outlining constituencies - had in their 2017 voting mindsets that what Imperial red shirts MP's and political appoints will begins do immediately out red gates will be no more, less or worser than did those 'terrible' PLP MP's and political appoints, yes, no..... And, don't you think our beloved Queen Liz will eventually move constitutionally retake back her "FREE" port as one her own Out Island colonies, yes, no?

Clamshell 5 years, 6 months ago

No. Queen Elizabeth, who is 93 years old, could not possibly care less about a moldy old hotel in Freeport, Bahamas. Or the rolls of toilet paper that have you so vexed.

John 5 years, 6 months ago

It is patently obvious: Cruise ships have to be regulated, monitored, controlled and penalized heavily for violations. As they grow bigger and carry more passengers and supplies out to sea, the potential for pollution also increases. Seven to Eight Thousand persons on a cruise for seven days creates thousands of gallons of waste water, garbage and sludge. Should there be environmental levy fees? Should ships be required to pay for waste and sewerage at every port to which they call. Because if they have none to dispose off so what did they do with it? Left it floating out on the ocean somewhere or pumped into the water to feed some hungry grouper?

concerned799 5 years, 6 months ago

The court report shows how futile trying to regulate them is. This was all part of a period they were supposedly under watch/probation event. The judge will give them no real punishment. The only solution is to ban them permanently from the Bahamas, an ideally in concert with other island nations too.

Well_mudda_take_sic 5 years, 6 months ago

Just about any private pilot who has been flying for years will tell you they have witnessed many instances, going as far back as the late 1970s, of Carnival's cruise ships dumping tons of untreated refuse in our once pristine waters. I have taken many aerial photographs over the years from my plane showing the long plumes of dark brown refuse trailing for miles in the wake of Carnival's cruise ships while in our waters. And I'm sure I'm not the only private pilot with such photographs. Our government should be suing Carnival for damages to our environment, among other things, rather than granting them approvals or concessions of any kind for their proposed development projects anywhere in our country.

concerned799 5 years, 6 months ago

The government should be kicking them of the Bahamas for good along with the other cruise lines. And the court should impound one of their ships for security against damages/fines to prevent them just fleeing justice. If it ends up being less than the value of the ship, or they are innocent of all the allegations of dumping, they can have the ship back upon payment of the damages and fines or upon being found not guilty of all of this.

We surrender all pretense of legal and economic soverignty if the current cruise ship status quo continues. Clearly laws and regulations mean nothing if they can get away with all this. If breaking their US probation rules mean nothing, then we are a rule of the cruise ships, not of democracy and law. I mean if that's what people want, then lets just be honest about it.

TalRussell 5 years, 6 months ago

Yes, yes ma comrade Concerned799, be's weary foreigners bearing gifts whom possess Letter of Intent's in pocket from Imperial red shirts cabinet - who start handing out cheques to sponsor that thing, or that person(s)....... didn't OBAN, not demonstrate such giving community spirit with the writing $10,000 donation cheque to a "FREE" port Junkanoo group, yes, no..... Baffles mind's many a "FREE" porter, why you would expect them believes a damn anything red promised after the now exposed 'fake signature' setup right in PMO, yes, no .... the reds knew upfront that the OBAN signatory was damn FAKE, yes, no?

John 5 years, 6 months ago

I’m sure you were able to see Russia interfering in the US Elections from your plane. Also you had a test kit on board that you discharged remotely to determine that it was raw sewage being dumped.

Well_mudda_take_sic 5 years, 6 months ago

I suspect you don't know many (if any) local pilots who have been flying between NAS and South Florida airports (MIA, FLL, FXE, etc.) with some regularity over the last 3 or 4 decades. And as for why you don't appreciate that treated refuse is seldom dark brown in colour is beyond me. LMAO

bogart 5 years, 6 months ago

DEY NEEDS TO REVIEW.........DIS .....TOUCH AN FEEL DA TREMENDOUS WORK...of national progress in pipeline.... ...if Bahamians an TOURISTS gon go on da beach an swim in garbage.....dead sea creatures trapped in plastics....eating plastics....pollutin....oils...fats....greases....washing into mangroves breeding areas....killing corals......whales passing through eating plastics......OTHER EXAMPLES.....IS da plastics an garbage on da soith shores of Dominica Republic.....begs question which ships frequent Republic Dominica south shores areas an who likely doing dis huge mess....??????

proudloudandfnm 5 years, 6 months ago

Well there's some fees we need to be levying on Carnival. I say go 30 to 40% over what the USA charges....

ThisIsOurs 5 years, 6 months ago

I can't help but recall how the PM was literally grinning like a Cheshire cat when one of the cruise lines was given the ok by Eleuthera residents wearing this bowl of porridge tastes good t-shirts.

Carnival is in the news because they got caught. Sometime within the last 3 years I recall someone defending the cruise lines in this comment space saying these dumping incidents dont happen anymore because the cruise lines are being more closely monitored. Lo and behold, uncovered in internal emails, all the while carnival was just trying to find ways to beat the audits.

800 dumping incidents cited between 2015 and 2017. This is not a mistake. This is a pattern of F these islands we can do what we want. It's not our back yard anyway.

This is my main problem with this sole reliance on the foreigner to save us, they don't care about us or our environment if there's a big environmental disaster they'll pick up their boat or hotel and move it to Malta. We need to have a ficused deliberate strategy to balance this foreign investment against Bahamian innovation

It's too bad we have an administration in place that is desperate and fooled by evety white foreigner. Because I don't think there'd be the same giveaway for a group of wealthy Africans. Oban is only a small window into just how far they will go to sell us off. Only God knows what else they will give to save us from being like Haiti. We haven't seen the WTO terms yet.

concerned799 5 years, 6 months ago

Well IT IS our backyard and the Bahamas sets the rules. Its so simple really. Do we want dumping cruise ships that bring little money to the real economy or a land based hotel economy that is accountable to the people and the laws of the land?

And if you want the latter, just kick out the former and reclaim the country, its all not even hard to do to, just invite them to leave and pay their fines on the way out.

TheMadHatter 5 years, 6 months ago

Wow. That Kennedy fella got them started up just like i predicted last week. The clowns are fired up.

Seems you cant give Bahamians gold on a silver platter; i suppose unless it's Kalik Gold.

ThisIsOurs 5 years, 6 months ago

Had nohhingvto do with Kennedy. This story was out since last week. I made two posts about it. Was surprised it wasn't a bigger story and st the time I only knew about the Alaska dumping. That was concerning enough

TheMadHatter 5 years, 6 months ago

Sure. But enforcing dumping regulations is a separate issue from the investment on GB. If we hate Carnival that much then put your money where your mouth is and say we dont want them coming to our ports at all.

Yall dont feel the pain of people in this country toting water in shopping carts so they can flush their toilets.

SP 5 years, 6 months ago

Carnaval finally got caught but there are many others just as guilty. The Bahamas as a major transit point for shipping is being indiscriminately dumped on daily!

We need to charge these ships a transit fee sufficient enough to allow us to "properly" police our waters.

Consecutive PLP and FNM administrations were too inept to even think about these things. Let us see what spineless and crew will do!

Sign in to comment

OpenID

The Tribune