Clean Cruise Ship Act

The Problem: Cruise Ship Water Pollution

Cruise ships currently operate largely unregulated. They release hundreds of thousands of gallons of raw sewage and polluted water (containing bacteria, metals, viruses and nutrients) into  our oceans and coastal waters as close as three nautical miles from shore. According to EPA's Cruise Ship Discharge Assessment Report, sewage generation rates for large cruise ships can range as high as 74,000 gallons per day, per vessel. These discharges occur near shellfish beds, public beaches, and sensitive pristine marine ecosystems. Like floating cities, cruise ships carry thousands of passengers at any given time and are growing both in average ship size (increasing by approximately 90 feet every five years) and demand.

ManateeThe Solution: The Clean Cruise Ship Act

The Clean Cruise Ship Act (S.1820/H.R.3888) will achieve landmark reductions in water-based pollution from the many cruise ships plying U.S. waters. The bill prohibits the discharge of hazardous waste, sewage sludge, and incinerator ash within all U.S. waters and prohibits the discharge of sewage, graywater, and oily bilge water within 12 nautical miles of shore. In addition, the bill establishes cruise ship water quality standards and monitoring and reporting requirements. The Clean Cruise Ship Act is a substantial but feasible change from the currently under-regulated state of the cruise industry and will help to protect America’s coastlines, food supply, and beautiful natural resources from pollution.

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The Clean Cruise Ship Act:

  • Prohibits the discharge of sewage sludge, incinerator ash, and hazardous waste within 200 nautical miles of the U.S. coastline. Sludge, incinerator ash, and hazardous waste must be offloaded at an appropriate land-based facility.
  • Prohibits the discharge of sewage, graywater, and oily bilge water out to 12 nautical miles and in no-discharge zones such as marine protected areas.
  • Requires the EPA to establish pollution standards for sewage, graywater, and oily bilge water discharges from 12 to 200 nautical miles. The standards must be consistent with best available technology. To discharge pollution beyond 12 nautical miles the ship must be traveling faster than 6 knots.
  • Establishes a monitoring, sampling, reporting and inspection program with unannounced annual inspections and samples.
  • Establishes an observer program for monitoring discharges (one observer per ship).
  • Establishes the Cruise Vessel Pollution Control Fund to carry out the programs in the Act. The fund is comprised of reasonable and appropriate fees collected from cruise vessels for each paying passenger.

Take action to support passage of the Clean Cruise Ship Act.
Read the Clean Cruise Ship Act.
Read our Clean Cruise Ship Act Fact Sheet.
Read our EPA Discharge Assessment Report Fact Sheet.