TALKING TOUGH: Carnival warned criminal actions will be paid for

Renward Wells

As of Wednesday, May 1, 2019

By KHRISNA RUSSELL

Deputy Chief Reporter

krussell@tribunemedia.net

TRANSPORT and Local Government Minister Renward Wells said yesterday the Attorney General’s Office is assessing the extent of criminality attached to sewage and food waste discharged from Carnival’s vessels in Bahamian waters.

The government will also seek compensation or recompense if it finds damage was done, Mr Wells said yesterday.

He said an accelerated investigative process is now underway in an effort to make decisions.

Mr Wells stressed the government’s firm positions, including that no ship entering this country’s waters should discharge anything harmful, adding the environment and waters will not be compromised and all ships passing through will be held in all respects to the highest international standards.

Speaking in the House of Assembly yesterday, the minister outlined the government’s multi-fold response to Carnival’s actions, which were revealed last month in a report by a United States court appointed monitor.

It covered Carnival’s actions from the period April 2017 to April 2018.

During that time Carnival ships dumped hundreds of thousands of gallons of treated sewage and more than 8,000 gallons of food waste in Bahamian waters, the report revealed.

“The bottom line for us is two-fold: no ship privileged to enter Bahamian waters should discharge anything harmful into our waters. Our environment, our waters, will not be compromised. Our turquoise blue waters, shipping lanes and ocean belong to the people of the Bahamas and we will assure their protection.

“All ships trading in or passing through Bahamian waters will be held in all respects to the highest international standards of conduct.

“This is our bottom line. No compromise.”

Mr Wells said the government’s reaction entailed numerous approaches.

He continued: “So what are we doing about this? The government of the Bahamas has responded very rapidly to this news.

“We have asked the Bahamas Maritime Authority along with the Port Department and all relevant agencies to immediately investigate any and all discharges from vessels in Bahamian waters; to promptly report regarding such discharges; to assess any environmental damage that might have been caused and to make recommendations as to best practices across the board.

“We have communicated with Carnival on several occasions to elicit clarification and substantiation regarding any and all incidents concerning the Bahamas.”

Mr Wells said the government has now received two records from Carnival.

One was a description of all incidents caused by Carnival’s vessels in Bahamian waters, regardless of registry.

The other was a description of all incidents caused by Carnival group Bahamas registered vessels regardless of location.

Both encompass year one – April 2017 to April 2018 — of Carnival’s US court operational audit and year two of the audit, spanning from April 2018 to last month.

Mr Wells told parliamentarians that officials were also processing, cross-referencing and investigating this information using all resources.

And on Monday, he said a joint task force meeting was held to establish coordination among ministries and government entities in what he called an accelerated investigative process.

Mr Wells said the government will ensure the interests of the country, its people and precious marine resources are in all aspects protected.

“We will institute whatever systems and controls are necessary to secure our interests and particularly in these circumstances to seek compensation or recompense for any damage which may be found to have been caused to the ecosystem, waters and fisheries,” he said.

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Well_mudda_take_sic 5 years, 6 months ago

The government will also seek compensation or recompense if it finds damage was done, Mr Wells said yesterday.

Wells is still doing the only thing he has ever done as a politician, i.e. talk shiite that stinks more than the shiite Carnival has been dumping in our waters for decades. Wells, Minnis and Bethel all know Carnival has already been found guilty in the Florida courts of dumping raw sewerage and other contaminants in our waters and falsifying records to cover up its illegal dumping. And the Florida court based its findings on an investigative report of Carnival's illegal dumping practices during a relative short period that began in April 2017. But there is overwhelming photographic and video evidence that shows Carnival's ships have been dumping in our waters on a regular basis going back at least four decades. The actual tonnage of shiite and other contaminants they have dumped into our waters is almost as unfathomable as their unconscionable illegal acts.

We will soon learn that Minnis, Bethel and Wells propose to do absolutely nothing of any consequence, but simply give this most serious matter plenty of lip service. After all, we're talking about a Minnis-led government that kowtows to the interests, wants and needs of foreign owned interest while altogether ignoring the vital interests of our country and the Bahamian people.

DDK 5 years, 6 months ago

Strongly suspect you are right, would it not be superb if they would prove you wrong? It is SUCH a serious issue.

One shudders to think what this does to the whole marine ecological system, including our much loved seafood, which we eat! Do we actually know what these monstrous ships put into the public purse, versus the costs of accommodating them at our ports and in our waters?

screwedbahamian 5 years, 6 months ago

Seriously??, we need to stop reporting news from the HOA when these politicians (Blabber mouths) start to tell us WHAT THEY ARE GOING TO DO, INSTEAD OF WHAT ACTION HAS BEEN DONE to protect the Citizens of and the Commonwealth of the Bahamas that they have been entrusted to do.
We don't have the apparent manpower or technology to detect and stop wooden sail boats travelling at some 3 miles per hour that invade our shores next to our Defense Force Base and now we must believe that we have the manpower and technology to monitor and stop these large Cruise Ships that carry thousands of people on them, hundreds of private yachts and small private boats that anchor or pass through our beautiful waters form dumping million of tons of sewage and other contaminants a year in our waters. STOP THE MADNESS!!!!!! Start making statements with confirmation, of had been accomplished for the Bahamian People.

Well_mudda_take_sic 5 years, 6 months ago

Our Minister of Tourism is now able to tell the rest of the world we know why our conchs, crawfish, groupers, red snappers and many other fish are among the tastiest dishes to be had anywhere. They all have that flavourful one of a kind most special added ingredient: Carnival cruise ship shiite!

And Renward Wells, as the dumbest and stupidest of our politicians, will probably be easily persuaded by Carnival that The Bahamas should somehow and in someway be compensating Carnival for this special added ingredient that makes our seafood dishes so sumptuous.

TalRussell 5 years, 6 months ago

Yes, yes slow down connect the PLP dots cause same comrade tough talking Renward's resume's inclusion so many questions still left unanswered $650,000 Letter of Intent (LOI) action as a PLP - qualifies him the most of all crown ministers red shirts crown to deal with a serial shi# dumper, who continues hold valid LOI, yes, no - you couldn't possibly make this red shi# up, if you tried, yes, no - reminder, many still going answered Renward LOI questions were in fact asked on floor Peoples Honourable House of Assembly by the then leader red shirts opposition, one Dr. Minnis, yes, no?