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Carnival Cruise ships dumped over 500,000 gallons of sewage into the ocean – and the US wants to ban them from docking
The cruise operator is currently on a five year probation following a conviction for illegal dumping of oil
PASSENGERS visiting the US with Carnival Cruises could see their travel plans disrupted as the country seeks to ban the company's ships from docking in ports in the country.
The cruise giant has been accused of illegally dumping hundreds of thousands of gallons of waste into the ocean while they're on probation for a previous waste-dumping conviction.
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The cruise liner is currently on a five year "probation", which was put into place on April 2017 after it was .
Carnival was also forced to pay a $40 million (£30 million) fine after pleading guilty to seven felonies.
But a new report from a court-appointed monitor flagged 800 incidents that took place between April 2017 and April 2018, during its probational period, that were violations or illegal according to .
Of the 800 incidents, 25 were for dumping sewage and fuel illegally, while 19 were for illegally burning oil in protected areas.
It's estimated that the company dumped more than 500,000 gallons of treated sewage, 11,000 gallons of food waste, and 12 gallons of oil.
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Over 100 incidents involved items such as chairs and cushions being thrown overboard, usually by passengers, which is illegal under international law.
All of the violations were new and not related to the previous conviction.
Carnival reported the issues and said the violations were "not intentional" with the report stating they had made "considerable efforts" to meet the requirements of their probation.
However, the cruise liner was also criticised for failing to allow more control by their environmental compliance officer.
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Now the cruise company is waiting to hear whether it could be banned from the US following the environmental complaints.
that she would be holding a final hearing in June to decide whether she will temporarily block Carnival's ships from docking in US ports.
The ban would potentially affect thousands of passengers who travel from Miami, New York and Los Angeles, among others.
U.S. District Judge Patricia Seitz previously said the problem was being treated "as a gnat".
A Carnival Cruise spokesperson told Sun Online Travel in a statement: "The report concerning our Environmental Compliance Plan (ECP) detailed issues that arose as part of our self-reporting efforts during the first year under the plan.
"These issues were unacceptable failures in our processes that were not in accordance with our policies and procedures, and do not reflect the culture we have built at Carnival Corporation and across our nine cruise line brands.
"The report did include positive comments about our cooperation with the ECP on board our ships and ashore, and noted we corrected conditions that led to the original charges, stating:
"The Company expended considerable efforts to meet the [probationary] Year One requirements, and has substantially complied with them. The report also praised our substantial training initiatives.
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"We have been taking steps to address the improvement areas mentioned in the report, and to build on the positive progress noted by the court-appointed monitor to make sure we are in full compliance moving forward.
"The incidents in the report were largely identified from our own self reporting mechanisms – an important component of our continuous improvement process.
"We are striving to build a culture of not just compliance, but commitment to environmental excellence across our brands as we work openly to identify improvements in our operations where needed to ensure full and total compliance going forward.
"Based on the latest report, we are currently working with authorities under the ECP to identify specific areas to support continued improvement in our compliance.
"We also look forward to announcing several new initiatives designed to improve our fleet operations, ensure compliance and continue our efforts to be best-in-class with respect to environmental responsibility."
"Sustainability has been and remains a top priority for the company. We have an obligation to our company, our guests and the more than 700 destinations we visit around the world to protect the environment in which we live, work and travel.
"We take the issues raised very seriously and we are vigorously addressing those issues. We remain deeply committed to meeting all expectations under the ECP and demonstrating our dedication to environmental leadership."
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The cruise line also kicked those involved off the vessel.
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