Cruise Ship Dumping Waste

It must be done as per the international maritime laws.

Cruise ship dumping waste. But all those people use resources and produce waste. How much trash do cruise ships dump in the ocean. Cruise ships which are often hundreds of feet long and carry thousands of passengers and crew have been compared to floating cities.

Cruise ships like Symphony have a designated waste and recycling center. There are separate teams to deal with each incoming recyclable. However many companies will set their own regulations that their ships have to comply with.

A Royal Caribbean cruise ship sails up the Hudson River in New York City Gary HershornGetty Images. A cruise liner carrying 3000 passengers and personnel produces around 21000 gallons of sewage each day. Its estimated that the company dumped more than 500000 gallons of treated sewage 11000 gallons of food waste and 12 gallons of oil.

Yes cruise ships can dump sewage into the ocean. Indeed in 2016 Princess Cruises was fined a record 32 million for the illegal dumping of oil-contaminated waste from the Caribbean Princess cruise. According to the Environmental Protection Agency the cruise ship industry dumps 255000 US gallons of greywater and 30000 US gallons of blackwater into the ocean daily.

Unlike cities however cruise ships are exempt from the discharge permitting program of the nations preeminent water pollution control law the Clean Water Act. On an individual level if you are planning a cruise investigate the cruise line to be sure their ships do not have a record of pollution see Cruise Ship Report Card. Green brown and white.

Under the current Caribbean regulations ships can begin dumping garbage including metal glass and paper three miles five kilometres from shore as long. Cruise ships the size of small cities ply the waters off our coasts producing and then dumping large amounts of sewage and other wastes. More than 130 US gallons 490 L of hazardous.