This really burns my cookies. The Cruise Lines (not only the guys below) are barefaced lying to us, the consumers. Their brochures are full of glowing environmental commitments and (laughably) "awards" for their contributions, efforts and programs. It just makes me sick. First RCI and now Carnival have been fined millions for illegally dumping in the oceans, and then conspiring to conceal their misdeeds. I guess it is still cheaper to pay the fines and continue to lie to the people that pay for it all. If only they would just say "we admit it, we dump" then I would be a bit more alright with it.
The following is a copy/paste directly from the Carnival website press section:
"CARNIVAL CRUISE LINES MAINTAINS
FLEETWIDE ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAMS
MIAMI — As the world’s largest cruise operator, Carnival Cruise Lines understands that the company’s future depends upon the health of the world’s oceans. As such, the line has undertaken a leadership position in aggressively seeking both high- and low-tech solutions to manage the environmental impact of its fleet and preserve this important natural resource.
These comprehensive initiatives, which meet or exceed international and domestic environmental laws and regulations, including those of the International Maritime Organization and the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, include an extensive waste-management plan for collecting, storing, processing and disposing of all waste generated aboard Carnival vessels.
Although international law allows disposal of a variety of items at sea, Carnival chooses to recycle, incinerate or offload all waste material from its ships for disposal on land. These include plastic, glass, food, rags, metal, fluorescent lamps, batteries and medical waste. Over the counter medicines are also donated to animal shelters, aquariums and animal rehabilitation facilities.
Under Carnival’s wide ranging waste-management guidelines, solid waste is processed and incinerated on board when possible. Otherwise, it is sent to an approved shoreside facility for treatment, recycling or disposal. Materials to be recycled are compacted, crushed or baled, and stored on board until they can be offloaded to an approved vendor for disposal.
Prior to sending waste to a facility, Carnival’s environmental, health and safety department conducts a thorough inspection, including a review of insurance, licenses and procedures, of each vendor to ensure that they are in full compliance with local, state and federal environmental regulations.
As a result of these efforts, Carnival’s recycling program consistently achieves a recycling rate of nearly 65 percent, which is higher than most communities. An average of 170,000 pounds of cardboard, aluminum cans, plastics, glass and steel are recycled each month from Carnival’s fleet. Additionally, nearly 7,200 pounds of batteries and 18,000 fluorescent lamp bulbs are recycled annually.
The line also involves its guests in the recycling program. Specially marked containers are placed throughout the ships to encourage guests to dispose of different materials in a manner that facilitates sorting and recovery. Food, glass, aluminum and plastics are collected in separate bins located in public areas, open decks, stewards stations, galley and crew areas, room service pantry and bar pantries.
Cooking oil and grease are stored in special holding tanks for recycling in port. Biomedical waste is incinerated or sent to an approved shoreside facility.
A variety of items – mattresses, televisions, blankets and computers – that cannot be used by the ships but still are in usable condition, are donated to local organizations in both homeports and ports of call.
Carnival’s environmental efforts are not just limited to recycling and waste disposal as the line is also researching the development of several options for the treatment of gray water (waste water from sinks, showers and kitchens). The line has already tested a version of the Rochem system on board the Paradise and is in the final stages of testing for a black/gray water Rochem system aboard the Carnival Spirit. The technology uses ultra filtration membranes to treat gray and black water to a level that would render it usable for toilet flushing, laundry and deck washing.
Similar gray water treatment systems from other manufacturers also are being tested and eventually the equipment will be installed fleetwide.
Carnival is also piloting innovative ballast water treatment technology aboard the Elation which is designed to reduce the risk of invasive species.
Essential to Carnival’s environmental initiatives are training and education programs. All shipboard employees attend a familiarization course, which provides instruction on shipboard waste management.
Other environmental initiatives include an advanced three-step engineering process for the separation of oily bilge water. Energy and water conservation audits also are performed aboard all Carnival ships. The line has partnered with several vendors to conduct the audits and develop conservation-management solutions to increase the efficiency of its ships.
Carnival’s environmental, health and safety department also works with the corporate shipbuilding department to incorporate the “green ship” concept in the design and building process. As a result of these efforts, Carnival’s two newest ships, the 2,124-passenger Carnival Spirit and Carnival Pride, have received the “Green Star” designation for meeting the stringent environmental standards established by the Registro Italiano Navale Group (RINA), an Italian ship classification and management certification society.
Carnival has also formed an alliance with the International SeaKeepers Society and has installed a scientific data-gathering device on the Carnival Triumph and Carnival Spirit to monitor ocean water quality. Developed under the direction of scientists at the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science, the device tracks a wide range of data, which is transmitted via satellite to the University of Miami and then on to various environmental groups, governmental agencies and universities to aid in assessing ocean pollution and researching global climate changes and cyclic weather patterns.
As industry leader, Carnival has introduced several new environmental initiatives in recent years, including hosting the first Cruise Industry Environmental Roundtable in 1999 and serving as a founding member of the International Council of Cruise Lines environmental technical committee. In November, Carnival’s 2,056-passenger Fantasy served as the venue for the Florida Ocean Alliance’s annual conference attended by numerous environmental leaders in government, academia and business.
The line also supports community-based programs and local environmental initiatives, such as South Florida’s Biscayne Bay Partnership Initiative, the Coral Reef Task Force and has partnered with the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to develop a university internship program and uses the line’s vessels as data collection and sampling centers. The line also operates an internship program in conjunction with the U.S. Maritime Academies during which students spend four to eight weeks aboard ship with members of Carnival’s environmental, health and safety group in various support functions.
Additionally, an alliance with Turner Broadcasting’s Captain Planet Foundation promotes environmental awareness to guests, crew and the community through “edu-tainment” cartoons broadcast on Carnival’s in-cabin television shows and during “Camp Carnival” activities. For these efforts, Carnival was recognized by the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce’s “Innovation in Environmental Practices” award, which was presented at the organization’s annual GOALS conference in Miami."
Bull Hockey is what I say.
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