Bronte Wells
Cruise ships are the worst polluters in the travel industry, and 97% of them break the law. In 2024, Disney Cruise Line was named the cruise company operating the most polluting ships, with the Disney Dream vessel emitting 1,481kg of carbon dioxide emissions per nautical mile. Other cruise lines with violations for pollution include Carnival Corporation, Princess Cruise Lines, Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, and MSC Cruises. These companies have been fined and penalized for their environmental violations, including the illegal discharge of oil, plastic, sewage, and other hazardous substances. While some cruise lines have taken steps to reduce their waste and adopt more sustainable practices, the cruise industry continues to face scrutiny for its environmental impact.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Cruise lines violating pollution laws | Carnival Corporation, Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, Disney Cruise Line, MSC Cruises |
| Actions | Dumping untreated oily wastewater, falsifying records, discharging plastic into the ocean, dumping sewage |
| Penalties | Fines, probation, community service, environmental-compliance program |
| Year | 1993, 1999, 2002, 2004, 2016, 2019, 2024 |
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What You'll Learn
- Princess Cruise Lines fined $40 million for dumping oil-contaminated water
- Carnival Corporation fined $18 million for pollution violations
- Norwegian Cruise Line is Europe's most polluting cruise ship
- Royal Caribbean fined $6.5 million for violations in Alaska
- Cruise ships burn dirty diesel fuel, even when docked at port
Princess Cruise Lines fined $40 million for dumping oil-contaminated water
Princess Cruise Lines Ltd. (Princess) was fined $40 million for deliberately dumping oil-contaminated water and falsifying records to conceal the discharges. The fine, ordered by U.S. District Judge Patricia A. Seitz, is the largest-ever criminal penalty involving deliberate vessel pollution.
The case against Princess included illegal practices found to have taken place on five Princess ships: Caribbean Princess, Star Princess, Grand Princess, Coral Princess, and Golden Princess. One practice was to open a saltwater valve when bilge waste was being processed, to prevent the oil content monitor from triggering and stopping the discharge. The second practice involved discharges of oily bilge water originating from the overflow of graywater tanks. This waste was pumped back into the graywater system and then pumped overboard when the ship was more than four nautical miles from land.
The investigation revealed that Princess had no written procedures or training for handling internal gray water spills, and the problem remained uncorrected for years. The perceived motive for these crimes was financial, as the chief engineer responsible for the discharge off the coast of England stated that it was too expensive to properly offload the waste in port.
As a result of the government's investigation, Princess has agreed to plead guilty to seven felony charges and implement an environmental compliance plan, including independent audits and oversight by a court-appointed monitor. During the five-year probation period, all related Carnival cruise ship companies trading in the U.S. will be required to adhere to this plan.
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Carnival Corporation fined $18 million for pollution violations
Carnival Corporation, the world's largest cruise line, has been fined numerous times for violating environmental laws. In 2002, the company was ordered to pay $18 million in fines after pleading guilty to criminal charges related to falsifying records of oil-contaminated bilge water that six of its ships had dumped into the sea from 1996 through 2001. The company was also placed on probation for five years and required to submit to a court-supervised worldwide environmental compliance program for each of its cruise ships.
In 2016, Carnival's subsidiary, Princess Cruise Lines, agreed to pay a $40 million penalty for illegally dumping oil-contaminated waste into the sea. This was the largest criminal penalty ever imposed for intentional vessel pollution at the time. Despite this, Carnival continued to violate environmental laws, and in 2019, the company and its Princess line were ordered to pay an additional $20 million penalty for violating the probation terms from the 2016 case. These new violations included discharging plastic into the waters in the Bahamas, falsifying records, and interfering with court supervision.
Carnival has a long history of environmental violations, with instances of dumping plastic trash and oily discharge from its ships dating back to 1993. The company has also been criticized for its lack of commitment to reducing its environmental impact, with environmental groups expressing frustration over the seemingly ineffective penalties imposed on the company.
In response to the 2019 violations, Carnival agreed to make changes to its operations, including reducing its plastic use and prioritizing compliance with environmental regulations. The company also faces additional fines of up to $10 million per day if it fails to meet court-imposed deadlines for restructuring its corporate compliance efforts.
The repeated offenses by Carnival Corporation highlight the challenges faced in regulating cruise ship pollution and enforcing environmental laws in the industry. With cruise ships contributing significantly to carbon dioxide emissions and marine pollution, there is a growing need for stricter regulations and sustainable practices in the cruise industry.
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Norwegian Cruise Line is Europe's most polluting cruise ship
Cruise ships have been under scrutiny for their environmental impact, particularly their contribution to air pollution and water pollution. In Europe, this issue has been prominent in cities like Venice, where cruise ships are the third-worst cause of air pollution and also damage the foundations of historical buildings.
Norwegian Cruise Line has been identified as one of the most polluting cruise operators in Europe. According to an analysis by Which?, their megaship Norwegian Epic emitted 95,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2023, an amount comparable to the emissions of a town with 20,000 residents. This led to Which? naming the Norwegian Epic as Europe's most polluting cruise ship.
The same analysis also ranked Norwegian Cruise Line as the second-worst polluter overall in Europe. The company operated 10 ships on the continent, each emitting around 1,413kg of carbon dioxide per nautical mile. Three of the top 10 most polluting mega-ships, those with a capacity for thousands of passengers, belonged to Norwegian.
Norwegian Cruise Line has acknowledged the issue and committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2030. However, they have also stated that the figures do not account for time spent in port, where emissions are lower and vessels spend a significant amount of time.
Norwegian Cruise Line is not the only company facing criticism for pollution. Several other cruise lines, including Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, and Carnival Corporation, have been fined and penalized for violating environmental regulations and illegally discharging oil and wastewater. These companies have also implemented measures to reduce waste and adopt more sustainable practices, such as using reusable items and exploring cleaner energy sources.
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Royal Caribbean fined $6.5 million for violations in Alaska
Royal Caribbean International is a cruise line company that offers cruises to the Caribbean, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, the South Pacific, Hawaii, Alaska, and more. In July 1999, Royal Caribbean was fined $6.5 million for violations in Alaska. The company pleaded guilty to 21 felony counts of violating Federal water pollution laws. The fine was a part of a larger $18 million total federal plea agreement involving environmental violations in multiple locations, including Florida, New York, California, and Alaska.
The $6.5 million fine was imposed for four felony violations of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 for the deliberate and routine midnight dumping of harmful quantities of waste oil into the waters off the coast of Alaska, including the Inside Passage, from Royal Caribbean's Sun Viking cruise ships in 1994 and 1995. There were also two felony counts for false statements related to the presentation of materially false Oil Record Books for the Sun Viking cruise ships in 1994 and 1995. Additionally, there was one felony violation of the Clean Water Act for the knowing discharge of pollutants, including photo and dry-cleaning waste, into the coastal waters of Alaska, including the Port of Juneau, in 1994 and 1995.
The state of Alaska had experienced a threefold increase in the number of cruise ship passenger visits during the 1990s, which led to increased concern over the impacts of cruise ship pollution on marine resources. Royal Caribbean's practices had a negative impact on the environment and violated federal laws. The company's actions resulted in a significant fine and a plea agreement to address their environmental violations.
To address the issue of cruise ship pollution, some cruise lines have adopted policies that restrict discharges of machinery space waste within three miles (5 km) from shore. Recycling programs have also been implemented, and the use of compactors on ships has made plastics and aluminum easily recyclable upon the ships' return to port. Some cruise lines are also exploring alternative energy sources, such as shore power (cold ironing), battery power, fuel cells, and liquefied natural gas (LNG), to reduce their environmental impact.
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Cruise ships burn dirty diesel fuel, even when docked at port
Cruise ships have been criticised for burning dirty diesel fuel, even when docked at port. This has led to increased air pollution in port cities, making them more toxic than some of the most polluted cities in the world.
Cruise ships typically use heavy fuel oil, also known as bunker oil or marine fuel, which is highly polluting and relatively cheap. This fuel has a high sulphur content, with some reports suggesting it can contain 3,500 times more sulphur than diesel used for land vehicles. While docked at ports, cruise ships are required to use low-sulphur fuel or auxiliary engines to reduce air pollution. However, this is still significantly more polluting than regular diesel.
Some cruise ships have been found to use "scrubbers" to cheat regulations and avoid using cleaner fuel, which is more expensive. These scrubbers are often cleaned with seawater, and the dirty filter water is then dumped back into the sea, causing further environmental damage.
The burning of dirty diesel fuel by cruise ships has led to violations of environmental laws and regulations. For example, in 2002, Carnival Corporation pleaded guilty to criminal charges related to falsifying records of oil-contaminated bilge water discharged into the sea. In another case, Princess Cruise Lines was fined $40 million in 2016 for dumping oily waste into the sea and attempting to cover it up.
To address these issues, some cruise lines have taken initiatives to reduce their waste and find more renewable energy sources. For instance, Carnival Corporation has partnered with Shell to utilise liquefied natural gas (LNG) for its new ships, which is a cleaner energy source than oil. Other cruise lines, such as Princess Cruises and Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, have adopted reusable items and implemented recycling programs to reduce their waste production.
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Frequently asked questions
Princess Cruise Lines, a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation, was fined $40 million in 2016 for dumping plastic waste into the ocean.
In 2020, Carnival Corporation was fined for repeatedly dumping raw sewage and lying about it.
In 2019, Carnival Corporation was fined an additional $20 million for violating the probation terms of 2016 by discharging plastic into the waters in the Bahamas, falsifying records, and interfering with court supervision.
In 2002, Carnival Corporation pleaded guilty to falsifying records to cover up pollution by six ships over several years and was fined $18 million.
In 1999, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines was fined a total of $6.5 million for violations in Alaska, including discharging oil and hazardous substances.
