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trash (including plastics) is a routine occurrence. A musician working on board a cruise vessel in 

 the Mediterranean contacted the Center in November of 1991 after witnessing a nightly ritual of 

 dumping. In the ensuing voyage across the Atlantic, through the Caribbean and Panama Canal to 

 Long Beach, California, he was able to document fourteen separate dumping incidents while at sea, 

 all involving the disposal of plastic as well as other items. In conversations with the garbage 

 handlers on board he learned that the only ports of call where the ship offloaded all of its trash were 

 in Scandinavia where MARPOL enforcement is strict. In other ports (including Los Angeles) the 

 ship offloaded only a small amount of garbage in order to appear to be in compliance with the law. 

 He also learned that according to the crew, the staff captain does not want garbage offloaded at port 

 because of the cost involved. 



In almost all the reports we've received from crew, they indicate that the orders to dump come 

 from officers, and that the captain is fully aware of the practice. This is also borne out by 

 passengers who often report that complaints lodged with the captain and other officers appear to fall 

 on deaf ears. One passenger even received a veiled threat from the captain of the ship who told her 

 to "watch her step" after he discovered she had taken photographs of the ship's crew dumping 

 plastics at sea. 



I would like to take a minute to share with you a letter from a crew member which illustrates 

 the concern we often hear voiced by both crew and passengers after witnessing a dumping incident. 

 Dear CMC, I'm sure my disclosure will come as no surprise to you, since this kind of 

 thing is, sadly, all too common, despite legislation. I work on "The Enchanted Isle" . 

 as photographer, and am always scrupulous about taking our garbage down to the 

 collection point, believing it all to be offloaded ashore . . . Last week, however, I was 

 dropping off a plastic bag full of assorted trash . . . when I came upon a team of 

 deckhands, formed into a chain, along which was being passed every plastic bag in the 

 dump, regardless of contents, until it reached the last man, stationed beside an opened 

 hatch, who swung everything into the sea. I was horrified, and stood watching for 

 perhaps a minute, before surrendering my bag, which naturally went the way of all the 

 others. I discussed this with one or two other staff members afterwards, and was told 

 that this is common practice . . . evidently people are posted on deck at night to ensure 

 that no passengers might witness the spectacle, and the deed is then done, with the blind 

 eye consent of all on board, all the way up to the captain. . . Legislation is legislation - 

 enforcing it is another matter - without expensive and unpopular teams of cruising 

 snoopers, these ships are impossible to police; one depends, I suppose, on saddened and 

 outraged crew members such as myself ... I have no hesitation, nor compunction in 

 "squealing," as what goes on here is quite obviously wrong, and the end product of either 

 sloppiness or parsimony in not spending to extend the garbage hold or install an 

 incinerator. . . Meanwhile, if I can be of assistance to you, or the dolphins and whales 

 beneath me; almost every week I see dolphins somewhere, and they invariably speed 

 towards the ship, all smiles, when they pick us up. I wonder that they can still be so 

 eager to court our society after all we've done to them; I think they deserve more 

 considerate playmates. 



Due to the recent increase in eye-witness reports such as this one and the realization that the 

 amount of cruise line debris washing up on our beaches has no! begun to decline, CMC has initiated 

 a campaign focused on educating potential cruise line passengers and enlisting their help in being the 

 Coast Guard's "eyes and ears" on the water. While on board we encourage passengers to investigate 

 the disposal habits of the ship, talk with crew members who handle shipboard garbage, and document 

 any dumping activity they may witness. We encourage them to report any illegal activity to the U.S. 

 Coast Guard and provide them with the necessary report forms (see attachment). 



We are also working very closely with the media to get the word out about illegal cruise line 

 dumping, and encouraging passengers to monitor the vessels they travel on. An increasing number 

 of individuals are calling to report dumping incidents they witnessed as a cruise passenger several 

 years ago, several months ago, or just last week. After the popular television show "I Witness 

 Video" aired a segment on a cruise line violation captured on videotape by a passenger, they received 

 eighteen calls from other passengers who had witnessed a similar event. 



C Other Findings 



Passengers and crew have told us of misleading claims of "environmental practices." Many 

 cruise lines will tell their passengers that they have state of the art equipment and/or environmental 



Center for Marine Conservation, Page 2 



