The Tribune

By NEIL HARTNELL

and YOURI KEMP

Tribune Business Reporters

The government's renewed pledge to crack down on cruise ship dumping in Bahamian waters was yesterday branded by an environmental activist as "more hot air until we see some real action".

Sam Duncombe, the reEarth president who last year unsuccessfully sought to intervene in a US court case involving Carnival Cruise Line's waste discharges into this nation's waters and those of others, said the government's promise to "defend our environmental sovereignty" was just "verbal fluff" until proven otherwise.

Speaking after Renward Wells, minister of transport and local government, revealed that Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) had voluntarily confessed to waste discharges in Bahamian waters, Mrs Duncombe queried whether the recently-passed Environmental Planning and Protection Act provided sufficient punishment to deter these practices from happening in future.

She argued that the Act's maximum $30m fine was "a drop in the bucket" for the multi-billion dollar cruise lines while lamenting The Bahamas' failure to properly regulate and police the sector despite knowing that "the environment is our business" platform.

Informed of Norwegian Cruise Line's admission to the Bahamas Maritime Authority (BMA), Mrs Duncombe replied tongue-in-cheek: "How lovely of them. Does an admission of guilt mean they are not going to get fined now?

"Really and truly, how long have we known these ships were dumping in our waters? Carnival has been caught, Norwegian is offering little else other than a confession. It's not acceptable to say: 'We did something wrong. Here's what we did'. The point is: Stop doing it."

Mr Wells yesterday outlined seven different measures the Government is taking to prevent, detect and punish environmental infractions by all Bahamas-registered ships and those that pass through this nation's waters, but Mrs Duncombe said it now needed to move beyond talk.

"These are all welcome comments," she said of Mr Wells' remarks, "but until we see some action at the end of the day it's going to be more hot air. I would really enjoy some action right now. Until we see some action, all this is verbal fluff. You can say anything.

"We've allowed this [cruise] industry to come into our country with no regulation and no oversight. The environment is our business. But if these ships foul our waters and make the country so polluted that no one wants to come here, they can go elsewhere."

Slamming The Bahamas' previously "lax" environmental laws and their enforcement, the reEarth president said she recalled how The Bahamas had previously voted against imposing restrictions on air emissions from ships' smoke stacks and funnels.

"At some point we have to wake up and realise what we're allowing to happen, not only in our waters but internationally," she added. "We keep opening our arms to these cruise ships that, from a financial perspective, don't contribute the same amount of tourism money to our GDP as the people that come here and stay overnight in a hotel.

"It's all backwards, and instead of supporting people to open boutique hotels that respect the land and people, we continue to allow one of the tourist industry's most polluting segments into our country. There's some talk about making them accountable and paying for what they've done, but if these fines are not as strong as possible to send a clear message it's going to be business as usual.

"It cannot be a spank on the wrist like they did to Carnival in Florida. Even with the $30m that our government can fine these companies that's a drop in the bucket as they make billions every year."

Mrs Duncombe said the fine limit might have been increased had the Government consulted with all environmental groups prior to the passage of its legislative package. She added: "The Government does not hold the answers to every single issues we have.

"We can collectively make this country really amazing. But if the Government controls every single detail, and does not use the passion and love for this country that many Bahamians have, we're going to continue to roll around. We're not going to move forward.

"We're moving in tiny increments. The reality is with climate change risk facing this nation we need really giant steps to send the message to these companies that you are welcome here, but you must follow the rules and you're not going to destroy our business," Mrs Duncombe continued.

"That's what successive governments have allowed. These corporations have come in here, done pretty much what they want to do, and we're left holding the bag. Our children will be left with it at the end of the day. It has to change or this country is going to be in a bit of trouble."

Mr Wells, in his House of Assembly address, after alluding to previous cases involving Carnival said: "We recently learned of similar discharges from a Norwegian Cruise Line vessel, which was voluntarily reported to the Bahamas Maritime Authority (BMA) by Norwegian Cruise Line. Consequently, we are actively in touch with all other major lines that operate vessels within our waters.

"Let me make one thing clear, and in doing so emphatically state that we will defend our environmental sovereignty. Those who have breached our environmental laws will be made to account. The pristine lands and waters of The Bahamas is the inheritance of our People. It belongs to all Bahamians; to all of you, and to future generations of our beautiful nation."

Mr Wells said the Government had taken several steps to combat the problem, including circulating "the strict definition of our territorial waters as far as any discharges at sea are concerned." Any discharges of waste within these boundaries by ships is prohibited.

"We absolutely prohibited any discharges at sea within this boundary, even discharges that are considered safe by other countries," he added. "We will not permit, and we will not tolerate, any discharges at sea within the waters of our Commonwealth.

"We are closely working, with the help of the Bahamas Maritime Authority (BMA), to ensure that we are in close communications with all of the major cruise lines. They have provided us access to ship's records and personnel, those on ship and those on shore, and with their co-operation we are developing a broad database of potential past discharge locations along major routes."

Mr Wells said the Government will "look" to the cruise industry to fund any assessments of past incidents, as well as "remediation" for any damage found.

"In partnership with the BMA we strengthened the approval of protocols for safe shipboard procedures and the rules of reporting and inspection for all vessels that ply our waters," he added. "We established clear lines of reporting of any incident or the risk thereof to the BMA for all vessels under the Bahamian flag, and to a national reporting hotline for all other vessels in our territorial waters.

Highlighting new legislation for the shipping industry, Mr Wells said: "Our new Merchant Shipping Bill, which is at a very advanced stage of preparation, will incorporate state-of-the-art regulations for the shipboard control for all manner of pollution from ships.

"The BMA is designating a deputy director who will have specific responsibility for environmental affairs. They will not only be active in the regulation of the Bahamas flag carriers but will also advise Bahamas flagship owners regarding the correct interpretation and implementation of complex national and international environmental laws and regulations."