The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Senior Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

A LEADING environmentalist hopes the findings of government’s probe into Carnival Cruise Lines’ alleged discharge of sewage and food waste in Bahamian waters will be published now that Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis - a vocal proponent of the investigation when he was in opposition - is leader.

A US court mandated report in 2019 found Carnival ships dumped hundreds of thousands of gallons of treated sewage and more than 8,000 gallons of food waste in Bahamian waters in 2017. In doing so, the court found Carnival violated the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) which specifies how food waste and sewage must be disposed.

The Ministry of Transport and Local Government said it found the allegations disturbing and that the Port Department and the Bahamas Maritime Authority would investigate the allegations.

Three years later, however, the public has yet to learn the outcome of the investigation.

Transport Minister Jobeth Coleby-Davis did not respond to requests for information. Jacqueline Simmons, the recently appointed chair of the Bahamas Maritime Authority, said yesterday she will make inquiries about the matter.

In opposition, Mr Davis urged the government to assess the damage done and remedy potential damage at Carnival’s cost.

“It is an alarming revelation that our waters have been polluted and I would hope that some assessment could be made to determine what impact it would have had on our ecology and if there is any consequence and if there is an impact that further assessments could be made to determine how it could be remedied at the cost of Carnival,” he said.

Yesterday, Sam Duncombe, executive director of reEarth, said the government’s silence on the matter over the past several years is predictable and unfortunate.

“I remember when it had been announced and during COVID when the anchors were driving all along the seabed, I reminded the Minnis government that they had promised to do an investigation and I asked what had happened and, of course, nobody said anything and unfortunately that’s standard operating procedure,” she said. “To say I’m disappointed, disgusted and disillusioned is an understatement.”

Carnival paid a $40m fine in the United States in 2016 after admitting to dumping waste into the ocean and covering it up. As part of the settlement, the company was required to serve a five-year probation and be supervised by a court appointed monitor. Last year, Carnival’s Princess cruise Lines LTD agreed to pay a $1m fine on top of the $20m penalty it received two years ago.

Since the appointment of a monitor, Carnival has nonetheless said it is experiencing a decline in sewage discharge and has embraced wide ranging measures to improve its environmental safety record.

A top company official told local reporters in 2020 that it will invest $48m over a two-year period to address the issue after pleading guilty to environmental violations several years before.