By RASHAD ROLLE
Tribune Senior Reporter
rrolle@tribunemedia.net
CARNIVAL Corporation officials say the company has been experiencing a decline in sewage discharge problems as it embraces wide ranging measures to improve its environmental safety record.
A top official said the company will invest $48 million over the next two years to address the issue.
After pleading guilty several years ago to environmental violations, the corporation has been under probation and is supervised by a US court-appointed monitor who has been critical in his assessment of the company’s culture on environmental issues.
During a meeting with reporters at the company’s headquarters in Miami yesterday, Vice Admiral William Burke, the company's chief maritime officer, stressed the corporation's transparency in self-reporting incidents that can then be publicised around the world.
He said since 2017, company records show the number of sewage related regulatory issues have declined from 21 in April 2017 to seven in March 2018. Improper sewage regulatory performances constitute just 0.01 percent of all the company’s discharges, he said.
To better protect the environment, Admiral Burke said officials have addressed confusion regarding the Bahamas's archipelagic baseline, have improved voyage planning and training and have closed loophole communications after discharges while revising their sewage discharge policy.
At the same time, he emphasised that the sewage discharges noted by the court-appointed monitor have been treated sewage which do not harm the environment.
Carnival also emphasised its progress with other environment related policies, including significantly reducing single-use plastics and reducing its carbon intensity footprint.
Last year, a court mandated report which covers April 2017 to April 2018, revealed how Carnival illegally dumped hundreds of thousands of treated sewage in Bahamian waters along with more than 8,000 gallons of food waste.
Last month, Tribune Business reported that Carnival's court-appointed monitor disclosed further environmental infractions - some of which occurred while vessels were in port in Nassau and Freeport - that took place in 2019.
Comments
Sickened 4 years, 10 months ago
Can someone please show me on a map where they have been dumping their waste as I'm pretty sure its nowhere near our border? This crap about we're not really sure where The Bahamas territory actually starts. What a joke!
Hoda 4 years, 10 months ago
Well though it may not matter to us, technically as a matter of international law - the un convention on the law of sea zones every countries "territorial waters" as starting from the shore then extends 12nm after 12nm, the next 12 nm is categorised as eez or exclusive economic zone, then something else, then high seas. The Bahamas is a archipelago, so after territorial waters we also have a zone referred to as archipelagic waters. Its relevant because international law says intl ships and vessels have different rights in these zones. If they are using territorials waters in its legal sense, though it all encompasses the Bahamas, they may not be being disingenuous.
Well_mudda_take_sic 4 years, 10 months ago
The parent company of Carnival is demonstrably one of the most corrupt corporations on our planet today, having repeatedly proven so time and time again by simply ignoring fundamental laws aimed at protecting and preserving the environment. Nothing said by Carnival's representatives should be believed and the $48 million spend they are talking about is a mere drop in the bucket compared to the mega millions in costs that they are avoiding by their long established policy of dumping all of the shiite from their cruise ships in or near our territorial waters.
Why is it taking Carl Bethel so long to file a mega million dollar law suit against Carnival on behalf of the Bahamian people for the harm and damages caused to our environment? The inaction here by our AG certainly begs the question whether Carnival has delivered or promised to deliver a mother load of shingles to someone in or well-connected to the corrupt Minnis-led FNM government.
Economist 4 years, 10 months ago
Carnival's 'admeral' can't have been quoted accurately or if he was....
" he emphasised that the sewage discharges noted by the court-appointed monitor have been treated sewage which do not harm the environment."Strong
If this were so, surely it would be permitted and there would be no need to record such non-environmentally damaging discharges..........emmmmmm.....something doesn't sound right!
Why do I get the feeling that there are good environmental reasons why such discharges must be reported.......to protect the environment maybe?
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