| Year Cruise Line |
Ship(s) Explanation of Offense(s) |
Fine | Nature of Offense |
| Septemer 2015 MSC Cruises |
Magnifica |
R$ 2.505 million US$635K |
Garbarge bags overboard |
| June 2007 Louis Cruises |
Sea Diamond The ship was fined 1.17 Euros (US$1.57) for polluting the sea, following the April 5th accident that led to the ship sinking with some 450 tons of fuel and lubricants on board. Approximately 300 tons have already (June 22) leaked into the sea. Louis Cruise will contest the fine. |
$1.57 million |
Oil / Fuel Spill |
| January 2007 Princess Cruises |
Dawn Princess, The cruise line agreed to a plea bargain under which it pays a fine of $200,000 and restitution of $550,000 after criminal charges were filed. The company was charged with failing to operate at a slow, safe speed while near humpback whales and in 2001 hit and killed a humpback. |
$750,000 |
Whale strike |
| November 2006 Celebrity Cruises |
Mercury The Seattle Times reports today that Celebrity Cruises faces a fine for the Mercury dumping 500,000 gallons of untreated wastewater into Puget Sound. Though it initially claimed it hadn't dumped, shipboard documents contradicted the company's claim. The dumping happended 10 times over nine days in September and October 2005. |
$100,000 |
Untreated Wastewater |
| December 2004 Holland America Line |
Ryndam Holland America Line agreed to plead guilty to a misdemeanor in its discharge of sewage into Juneau Harbour in August 2002 and to pay a $200,000 fine, pay $500,000 in restitution, and spend $1.3 million to improve its ship's handling of waste. |
$2 million |
Sewage discharge |
| October 2003 Carnival Cruise Line |
Carnival Cruise Line paid $200,000 administrative fee to
settle
with the California State Lands Commission over the cruise line's
noncompliance
with state ballast water law. |
$200,000 |
Ballast water |
| 2002 Plea Agreement Carnival Corporation |
Ecstasy, Fantasy, Imagination, Paradise, Sensation,
Tropicale Carnival Corporation pled guilty to numerous occasions from 1996 through 2001 that it discharged oily waste into the sea from their bilges by improperly using pollution prevention equipment. In addition, the company falsified the Oil Record Books in order to conceal its practices. The plea agreement only focusses on Carnival Cruise Line (and dismisses any future charges against other Carnival Corp. subsidiaries), however it only applies to the Southern District of Florida. Other federal jurisdictions may pursue independent investigation and prosecution. |
$18 million ($9 million fine and $9 million in court-ordered community service to fund environmental projects in South Florida 5 year probation |
Oil discharges |
| 2002 Plea Agreement Norwegian Cruise Line |
Norway and "at least one other ship" Norwegian Cruise Line pled guilty to on numerous occasions from 1997 through April 2000 that it routinely circumvented the oily water separator, allowing oily bilge to be discharged directly into the sea. The company was given a lenient sentence because it reported its practices to the Department of Justice. |
$1.5 million ($1 million fine and $500,000 in court-ordered community service to fund environmental projects in South Florida |
Oil discharges |
| 2000 Plea Agreement Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. |
State of Alaska charged RCCL in August 1999 for seven
counts of violating state laws governing oil and hazardous waste
disposal. In January 2000, RCCL pled guilty to dumping toxic
chemicals (including dry-cleaning fluid) and oil-contaminated water
into the state's waters. |
$3.5 million |
Discharge of toxic chemicals, oil discharge |
| 1999 Plea Agreement Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. |
Grandeur of the Seas, Majesty of the Seas, Monarch of
the Seas, Nordic Empress, Nordic Prince, Song of America, Song of
Norway, Sovereign of the Seas, Sun Viking The company pled guilty in six jurisdictions to charges of fleet wide practices of discharging oil-contaminated waste, regularly and routinely discharging without a permit wastewater contaminated by pollutants through its ships' gray water systems, and making false material statements to the Coast Guard. These practices occurred fleet wide into 1995 and occurred on one ship as late as 1998. Among the violations supporting this guilty plea were repeated oil discharges from the Nordic Prince into the waters of Alaska's Inside Passage during 1994. |
$18 million ($3.5 million designated for the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and $2.5 million to the National Park Foundation) Jurisdictions: Miami ($3 million), New York City ($3 million), Los Angeles ($3 million), Anchorage ($6.5 million), Puerto Rico ($1 million), US Virgin Islands ($1.5 million) NOTE: The judge in Anchorage suspended $3 million of the fine in Alaska in consideration of the company's prompt payment. 5 year probation |
Oil discharge, discharge of hazardous waste,
falsifying records |
| 1998 Plea Agreement Royal Caribbean Cruise Ltd |
Nordic Empress Ship observed and filmed by Coast Guard aircraft as it discharged oil while en route to Miami, FL. The company pled guilty to the willful presentation of a false oil record book for the ship during a US Coast Guard Investigation. In addition, investigations revealed that the ship had been fitted with a bypass pipe allowing employees to discharge bilge waste from the ship without first processing it through an oily water separator |
$1 million |
Oil discharge, falsifying records |
| 1998 Plea Agreement Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd |
Sovereign of the Seas, Monarch of the Seas, Song of
America, Nordic Prince, Nordic Empress After Sovereign of the Seas was found discharging oily bilge waste approximately 8-12 miles from San Juan Harbour, PR on October 25, 1994, an investigation found that the ship's engineers routinely discharged oily waste overboard instead of processing it through the ship's oily water separator. In addition, employees on all five ships falsified oil record books and made false statements to the Coast Guard to conceal illegal discharge practices. |
$8 million ($1 million designated to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation 5 year probation |
Oil discharge, falsifying records |
| 1998 Plea Agreement Holland America Line |
Rotterdam In 1994, discharged waste 13 times in 10 days into Alaskan waters. The ship had fixed, permanent piping that allowed oily waste to be discharged directly overboard. (Reported Assistant Engineer -- he got $500,000) |
$2 million ($1 million fine, $1 million restitution) 5 year probation |
Oil discharge |
| December 1997 Norwegian Cruise Line |
Leeward Damaged Great Mayan Reef near Cozumel (more than 4400 square feet had been shaved off -- 80% destroyed) |
$1 million |
Damage to reef |
| April 1996 Cunard Line |
Royal Viking Sun Stuck coral reef at the mouth of the Gulf of Aqaba |
$23.5 million |
Damage to reef |
| April 1995 Dolphin Cruise Line |
Seabreeze I Discharged plastic bags 2 and 25 miles from the US shore and discharged oil into the North Atlantic 1 mile from US coast |
$425,000 ($275,000 restitution) |
Oil discharge, Plastics & garbage |
| September 1994 American Global Lines |
The company, the predecessor to American Hawaii Cruises, was
fined for dumping demolition materials. |
$100,000 |
Dumping |
| August 1993 Starlite Cruises |
Pacific Star A spill of 500-1000 gallons of oil into San Diego Harbour linked to ship by chemical analysis. |
$106,000 ($10,000 fine, $96,000 restitution) |
Oil discharge |
| April 1993 Princess Cruises |
Regal Princess Princess Cruises agrees to a fine for dumping more than 20 garbage filled plastic bags off the Florida Keys. Passengers videotape offense and receive half of fine. |
$500,000 |
Plastic |
| February 1993 Regency Cruises |
Regent Rainbow, Regent Sea Dumping of plastic bags and garbage off Florida and in Gulf of Mexico |
$250,000 1 year probation |
Plastic & garbage |
| February 1993 Palm Beach Cruises |
Viking Princess Discharged oil, creating a sheen (3 miles long) 2.5 miles from Port of Palm Beach |
$1 million |
Oil discharge |