Cruise ships flushed more than a billion gallons of sewage into oceans again this year

Entire industry refuses to reveal environmental practices

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Cruise ships dumped more than a billion gallons of sewage in the ocean this year, much of it raw or poorly treated, according to federal data analyzed by Friends of the Earth, which continues the call for stronger rules to protect oceans, coasts, sea life and people.

Friends of the Earth’s 2014 Informe de calificaciones de cruceros reveals that some of the 16 cruise lines graded are slowly getting greener; but more than 40 percent of the 167 ships still rely on 35-year-old waste treatment technology. Such antiquated treatment systems leave harmful levels of fecal matter, bacteria, heavy metals and other contaminants in the water. By law, wastewater dumped within three nautical miles of shore must be treated, but beyond that ships are allowed to dump raw sewage directly into the ocean. For this reason, the issue of accountability is paramount for the 2014 report card.

In a complete reversal from prior years of cooperation and transparency, all 16 major cruise lines refused — through their industry association, Cruise Lines International Association — to respond to Friends of the Earth’s requests for information on their pollution-reduction technologies. Therefore, the 2014 Cruise Ship Report card contains a new category: “Transparency” in which every cruise line received an “F” grade.

“By working to stifle the Cruise Ship Report Card, the industry attempted to shield itself from continued scrutiny of its environmental practices, and obscure data from conscientious consumers who would make different choices based on how a cruise ship or line performs on the report card,” said Marcie Keever, Oceans and vessels program director for Friends of the Earth.

“It’s time for the cruise industry to stop trying to hide the dirty ships in its fleet,” said Keever, whose report card is meant to draw attention to the environmental impact of the booming cruise industry and to help travelers choose the most environmentally-responsible cruises. A downloadable version of the Cruise Ship Report Card is available aquí.

Friends of the Earth’s report card grades cruise lines on four criteria: sewage treatment technology; whether ships can plug into shore-based power and if they use cleaner fuel than required by U.S. and international law; compliance with Alaska’s water quality regulations to protect the state’s coast; and transparency which is a new criteria this year.

Disney Cruise Line, based in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., was ranked as the most environmentally responsible line, earning an A for sewage treatment. Its overall grade would have remained an A if it would have responded to our requests for information but this year it received a C+.

At the other end of the scale, Carnival Cruise Lines of Doral, Fla. — which has the world’s largest fleet of 24 cruise ships but only two with advanced sewage treatment technology — received an F for sewage treatment again this year. Carnival Lines’ parent company, Carnival Corp. & PLC of Miami and London, also operates six other lines graded by the report card and all seven lines were downgraded for refusal to respond to Friends of the Earth.

“As the industry leader, Carnival Corp. has to step up its environmental game throughout all of its different lines,” said Keever. “No wonder Carnival Corp. refuses to respond to Friends of the Earth or be completely honest with its customers when it continues to use outdated technology that pollutes our oceans and threatens our marine ecosystem health, sea life and all of us.”

La Agencia de Protección Ambiental (EPA) afirma que un crucero promedio con 3000 pasajeros y tripulantes produce unos 21 000 galones de aguas residuales al día, suficiente para llenar 10 piscinas residenciales en una semana. Esto equivale a más de 1000 millones de galones al año para la industria, una estimación conservadora, ya que algunos barcos nuevos transportan hasta 8000 pasajeros y tripulantes, y el informe no incluye a toda la flota mundial. Además, cada barco genera y vierte aproximadamente ocho veces esa cantidad de aguas grises provenientes de lavabos, duchas y bañeras, las cuales pueden contener muchos de los mismos contaminantes que las aguas residuales y afectan significativamente la calidad del agua.

Los cruceros también son responsables de una cantidad significativa de contaminación atmosférica debido al combustible contaminante que utilizan. Incluso atracados, suelen utilizar motores diésel contaminantes para suministrar electricidad a pasajeros y tripulación. Según la EPA, cada día que un crucero promedio navega, emite más dióxido de azufre que 13 millones de automóviles y más hollín que un millón de automóviles. A partir de 2015, las normas sobre combustibles más limpios en Estados Unidos y Canadá reducirán la cantidad de azufre emitida por cada barco en aproximadamente un 97 % y la cantidad de hollín en un 85 %, además de las normas provisionales sobre combustibles más limpios ya vigentes en Norteamérica.

“This is an industry worth billions of dollars that could install the most advanced sewage treatment and air pollution reduction technology available,” said Keever. “We’re encouraged that some cruise lines are taking incremental steps to improve their performance, but the entire industry must stop hiding behind weak regulations and take action to make sure the oceans their ships travel remain as clear as the photos in cruise brochures. Unfortunately this year the industry decided to take several steps backwards and refused to respond to our requests for information.”

Nota para los editores:
To see report cards from past years and to learn more about the effects of cruise ship pollution on our marine and coastal environments, visit our sitio web.

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Expert Contact: Marcie Keever, (415) 999-3992, [email protected]
Communications Contact: Kate Colwell, (202) 222-0744, [email protected]