Royal Carribean Toxic Waste Dumping

Royal Carribean Toxic Waste Dumping

During the 1990’s one of the most famous cruise ship companies, Royal Caribbean, was caught illegally discharging toxic waste into oceans surrounding the United States and surrounding countries, as well as international waters. According to Wald the waste included, but is not limited to, oily water from the bilge of the ships, chemicals used for dry cleaning, and chemicals used to develop film. These chemicals were mixed in with the gray water, used water that is safe to drain into the ocean, and then flushed out with the gray water (1999). The Department of Justice pointed out that in an attempt to cover their tracks, workers on these cruise ships kept false maintenance logs, and had bypass pipes installed, so that it appeared that they were safely and legally disposing of their used oil, when in fact they were leaving it in the ocean, often times in environmentally sensitive areas (1999). Environment News Service mentions how Royal Caribbean created a poor reputation for themselves, first being investigated in the fall of 1994, and finally being charged in six different United States District Courts in 1999 (1999). Bohlen reveals that for the charges that Royal Caribbean faced in 1999 totaled $18 million dollars for their crimes against the public (1999). Friedrichs (2009) classifies this type of crime as a corporate crime, an “illegal and harmful act(s) committed by officers and employees of corporations to promote corporate (and personal) interests.” (p.7).

According to Rosenzweig the Royal Caribbean’s first run in with the law was in 1994 when one of their ships turned in false record books to the coast guard three times for inspection. The workers on the ships even use the Norwegi...

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...reach and Achievements (n.d.). In Royal Caribbean International . Retrieved February 2, 2014

Rosenfeld, D. (2010, January). Dirty Waters: Cashing in on Ocean Pollution . In DC Bureau . Retrieved February 2, 2014

Rosenzweig, D. (1999, July 22). Cruise Line Fined $18 Million for Dumping Waste at Sea . In Los Angeles Times . Retrieved February 2, 2014

Royal Caribbean Pleads Guilty to Polluting US Waters (1999, July 20). In Environment News Service. Retrieved February 2, 2014

ROYAL CARIBBEAN TO PAY RECORD $18 MILLION CRIMINAL FINE FOR DUMPING OIL AND HAZARDOUS CHEMICALS, MAKING FALSE STATEMENTS Cruise Line Faces 21 Felony Counts in 6 Different U.S. Courts (1999, July 21). In Department Of Justice. Retrieved February 2, 2014

Wald, M. L. (1999, July 22). Cruise Line Pleads Guilty To Dumping OF Chemicals . In The New York Times. Retrieved February 2, 2014