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A. Ship-Generated Solid Waste 



The debris from ocean-going vessels that washes up on Caribbean beaches needs to be removed 

 on a daily basis, representing a significant cost to resort owners. Not only does debris spoil an 

 island's beaches, it can also "ruin the view" for divers and snorkelers. A CMC staff member who 

 recently had the opportunity to view the reefs off the Caymans in a submersible was greeted at 300* 

 by a Budweiser can, at 400' by a plastic chaise lounge chair, and at the bottom (at 800') by coke 

 bottles and Heineken cans. While it is difficult to determine who the culprits are for disposing of 

 this debris, a beach cleanup held last year on a remote out-island of the Bahamas yielded cruise line 

 debris from five different lines in a short stretch of beach. The other easily identifiable source of 

 debris was the U.S. Navy. 



A typical large cruise ship today carries 2,500 passengers and an average crew of 800. Using 

 a conservative figure of 2 pounds of garbage generated per person, per day, a typical ship generates 

 over three and a half tons of trash every day. Due to high offloading fees in U.S. ports, some ships 

 are taking their waste back to Caribbean ports to offload, rather than using U.S. facilities. 

 Caribbean islands offer lower disposal costs, but often have inadequate garbage reception facilities 

 or landfill space to handle this waste. As "Special Area" designation takes effect in the Gulf of 

 Mexico and wider Caribbean, the problem will only be compounded, since "Special Area" 

 designation prohibits any overboard disposal of trash. 



Some Caribbean nations have begun to enforce their environmental laws and are fining cruise 

 lines for disposal of garbage in their waters. For example, the Cayman government recently assessed 

 two $3,000 penalties in the settlement of two cases against cruise lines. As recently as last week the 

 government upped the ante, following the example of the United States, and have declared they will 

 prosecute illegal dumping cases to the full extent of the law and will begin assessing fines of up to 

 $500,000. 



B. Other Pollutants 



Garbage pollution is a very visual form of pollution. The prevalence of it on beaches is a 

 constant reminder that the oceans are still being used as a garbage dump. However, reports from 

 passengers and crew as well as coastal and island inhabitants are opening our eyes to the fact that 

 the problem is much larger than garbage. Witnesses report seeing discharges of raw sewage 

 streaming behind cruise vessels. They also report oil and oily waste being discharged with bilge 

 water. 



We have no control over these types of discharges into Caribbean waters, however, 

 enforcement agencies in the United States are working on violations within our waters. Although 

 they will neither confirm or deny the presence of such cases, it is our understanding that the U.S. 

 Attorney's Office in the South District of Florida (in Miami) is currently investigating several cases 

 of illegal discharges of oil from cruise ships. In several cases being investigated by the Coast Guard, 

 reconnaissance aircraft were used at night to document oil being released from cruise ships. 



Sewage discharges from ships are regulated in U.S. waters under the federal Clean Water Act. 

 The direct discharge of sewage from a vessel is only permitted in ocean waters more than 3 miles 

 from shore. Annex IV of the MARPOL (73/78) treaty addresses sewage pollution from ships. The 

 U.S. has not signed onto Annex IV and it is currently not "in force" worldwide as it lacks the 

 necessary gross world tonnage to support it. 



C Other Environmental Concerns 



CMC has received numerous complaints from islanders in the Caribbean about the destruction 

 of their coral reefs by cruise ships. Eyewitnesses relay reports of cruise ships dragging anchors and 

 chains, leaving large paths of devastated reefs behind. Not only does this kill large areas of reef, 

 the turbidity of the water caused by sediment and rubble left behind can "suffocate" the reefs 

 organisms (filter feeders) which rely on clean water for necessary nutrients. Dredging to allow 

 cruise ship access to more remote island locations also leads to extensive damage of reef tracts. 



A CMC member wrote to us recently regarding another issue of great concern, the 

 encouragement of purchases of endangered species products outlawed in the United States. While 

 visiting a Green turtle farm in the Caribbean, the cruise line's shopping director encouraged 

 passengers to purchase turtle products, including lotion and oil, and proceeded to instruct U.S. 

 passengers to deface the container's label so that they could smuggle these endangered sea turtle 

 products through U.S. Customs. CMC does not know how prevalent this practice is, however, even 



Center for Marine Cooaervation, Page 6 



