Cruise Ship Pollution And Monterey Bay Shouldn't Mix

The Ocean Conservancy
Tuesday, 7 May 2002

No cruise ship discharges should be allowed within marine sanctuaries

The first cruise ship to enter Monterey Bay since 1996 is causing environmental groups to call for increased protection for marine sanctuaries like the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, and strengthened regulation of the cruise ship industry.

The Star Princess, the first cruise ship to pull into Monterey Bay in over 5 years, is expected to moor less than half a mile off the city of Monterey early this morning and shuttle passengers to shore for a day of land based activities. Princess Cruises has agreed not to discharge within the Sanctuary, but that is little consolation from an industry that has been assessed millions in fines over the past decade for environmental abuses.

"Princess' commitment not to discharge within the sanctuary is a positive first step," said Kaitilin Gaffney, Central Coast Program Manager for the Ocean Conservancy. "However, it shouldn't be up to the cruise industry to decide whether or not they will pollute Sanctuary waters. We need to prohibit these floating cities from dumping their waste in our nation's national marine sanctuaries."

The announcement of pending cruise ship visits to Monterey more than two months ago raised significant community concern, particularly given the cruise industry's recent history of poor compliance with environmental laws: cruise lines have been assessed more than $50 million in fines over the past decade for environmental abuses including illegal pollution and fraud. Responding to requests by local citizens and environmental organizations, on April 24, 2002, the Monterey City Council unanimously decided that only cruise ships that would agree to zero discharge in Sanctuary waters would be welcome in Monterey.

The Ocean Conservancy urges the Coast Guard, Monterey County Environmental Health Department, and the Regional Water Quality Control Board to look out for the interests of the citizens and wildlife of Monterey Bay and hold Princess to their word and to require the same commitment from future cruise lines visiting the Sanctuary.

Weighing in at nearly 110,000 tons and carrying up to 3,800 people, the Star Princess and other ships like it, are essentially floating cities; some even have their own zip codes. In 1999, The Ocean Conservancy, in partnership with the Bluewater Network, and 56 other environmental organizations, filed a petition requesting that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulate cruise ships under the Clean Water Act, just as they do cities of comparable size. So far, the EPA has not responded.

The Ocean Conservancy further advocates that additional laws are needed to protect marine sanctuaries like Monterey Bay. Gaffney emphasizes that, "Marine sanctuaries need added protections because they are home to endangered marine life and unique ecosystems that, once polluted, may never recover."

The attraction for most passengers is the chance to come ashore and see the variety of amenities Monterey has to offer. The ships will anchor about half a mile from Monterey's Fisherman's Wharf and ferry passengers to shore on smaller boats. With the high number of passengers coming ashore at the same time, The Ocean Conservancy is asking local ferry captains to operate these vessels in a manner that does not disrupt or endanger area wildlife.

"Cruise ships coming into Monterey Bay are underregulated and existing laws are poorly enforced. We need more than voluntary assurances to protect Sanctuary wildlife and water quality," says Gaffney. The Ocean Conservancy will issue a report by the end of the month cataloging our concerns and recommendations for tighter controls on the cruise industry.

For more information, or to contact The Ocean Conservancy, see their website at: www.oceanconservancy.org