32 



citizens, environmental groups, and state and local enforcement 

 personnel." 



And on page three, you go through a litany of the history over 

 the last four years where in 1989 you cite that there were 17 pollu- 

 tion violations and nine of them were garbage, and in 1990 there 

 were 20 violations and eight were garbage, and in '91 there were 30 

 violations and 10 were garbage; in '92 was 35 and 13. On the cruise 

 ship side of things, what kind of inspection do you actually do 

 there? I assume you don't board cruise ships. Do you do any inspec- 

 tions at all like when the ship goes out, you know, what they go 

 out with and what they come back with in terms of waste in the 

 hold? 



Admiral Henn. Normally, we don't do a check of the garbage, 

 sir, as each ship comes in and goes out of port. We do know about 

 the foreign passenger vessels because we inspect them four times a 

 year — scheduled inspections to ensure lifeboats and other things 

 are in good order. At that same time, we check to see what gar- 

 bage-handling facilities they have aboard. At that time, we also go 

 through and check to see what plastics, garbage, and things like 

 that that they have aboard. 



Part of the new enforcement policy though is to conduct the spot- 

 checks, as you have pointed out, where we will be sending people 

 down when a vessel comes into port to see, as Mr. Estes has point- 

 ed out, if they have ashes from the burn. Is there any plastic mate- 

 rial aboard, if they don't have an incinerator or a compactor? And 

 if they don't, that becomes the prima facie evidence with which we 

 will go forward with civil penalties, or if the case is strong enough, 

 criminal-type recommendations. 



With foreign-flag vessels, one of the things we used to do was 

 send the report of the violation to the flag state. But, we weren't 

 getting a very good response. In working with our friends at the 

 State Department, we changed that policy — it was a policy deci- 

 sion — back in July of last year, and we notified all the members at 

 IMO that when we could establish that plastics were discharged in 

 U.S. waters, and I am talking right out to the ends of the exclusive 

 economic zone, that we were going to prosecute those cases here in 

 the United States. If the flag state chose to take action, we would 

 give them six months to get off their backsides. If they didn't, then 

 we would continue with the prosecution and let the cards fall 

 where they will, as far as civil penalty or criminal action. 



Mr. Hochbrueckner. So then you will be doing spot inspections 

 obviously unannounced 



Admiral Henn. That is correct, sir. 



Mr. Hochbrueckner [continuing], surprise and on odd intervals 

 to keep everyone on their toes? 



Admiral Henn. Absolutely. We haven't in the past. That is part 

 of the new enforcement package, sir. 



Mr. Hochbrueckner. OK. Mr. Estes, you had indicated that 

 there were essentially I think you said 27 million passenger days a 

 year. 



Mr. Estes. Cruise days. 



Mr. Hochbrueckner. It seems to me that that is like 80 million 

 meals. That is a tremendous amount of food as well as packaging 

 accompanying that food. So I would assume that the industry itself 



