Bonaire's Future

[phelana]

Archman, my initial inquiry was about this sort of thing. Can you direct me to your report or findings please?

I see no reason to cross Bonaire off any to do list. We hope the Marine Park, dive shops and government will monitor and protect our healthy marine environment. We are concerned but hopeful.

Ann Phelan
www.bonairecaribbean.com

 

[Rick Murchison]

We hope the Marine Park, dive shops and government will monitor and protect our healthy marine environment. We are concerned but hopeful.

Ann Phelan
www.bonairecaribbean.com

Let me be blunt.
Cruise ships destroy coral and their cargo (pod people) and camp followers (non-native merchants) destroy the local flavor of a place.
They just do.
To think Bonaire can manage it in ways that will prevent these things is a pipe dream... it ain't gonna happen.
Therefore, it is a choice: a healthy ecosystem or Cruise Ships. You cannot have both.
Sorry for the bad news.
Rick

 

[reefdiva]

Archman .... please make your thoughts known to the "powers" of Bonaire --- they need to know that people are opting out of the island because of the cruise ships.

 

[archman]

Rick is absolutely correct. Coral reefs and large cruise ships are incompatible.

I haven’t updated my weblinks on this issue for a few years. Let me see what I can dredge up (no pun intended). I only look into cruise ships and coral reef ecosystems as *hobbies* that supplement my regular job.

Here is a (lengthy) citation listing regarding cruise ships and the environment.
http://www.cruiseresearch.org/Enviro.html

Other citation listings for use by researchers and other interested parties can be found from the main site.
http://www.cruiseresearch.org/


Which in turn is linked from this website, which compiles all sorts of interesting facts and figures for the industry. It’s normally “one-stop shopping” for me when I need hard data.

http://www.cruisejunkie.com/


“Accidental” releases of wastewater are believed quite common, but rarely documented. Here’s a good example of one that was.
http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/West/05/07/cruise.sewage.ap/

Unless someone keeps on eye on them, all that fancy pollution control equipment aboard (newer) cruise ships is often turned off, or broken.
http://www.sptimes.com/2002/12/04/Columns/For_cruise_lines__jus.shtml

The ecotourism journal Planeta released this commentary over a decade ago. Its main premises still stand today. Take particular note of the section titled “COMPETING FOR TOURISM PROFITS: THE FALLACY OF DEVELOPMENT”
http://www.planeta.com/planeta/96/0896cruise.html

For a good summary of cruise ship effects, the non-governmental environmental watchdog group Oceana put this reasonably accurate report together (in 2003). No, Oceana is not some crazed eco-hippie group. They aren’t making this stuff up or incredibly exaggerating their figures.
http://northamerica.oceana.org/uploads/cruise_report_final.pdf


For the science nerds, here’s a research article describing problems Jamaica is having as a result of poor water quality. If Bonaire gets cruise ships, it’s a foregone conclusion that shipboard sewage will either get dumped into your local infrastructure or unobtrusively dropped into your local waters. Cruise ships are unable to store all their sewage onboard for very long; they are not closed systems.
http://globalcoral.org/CORAL REEFS. SEWAGE, AND WATER QUALITY STANDARDS.htm

These are just a few example websites or reports. For more, just run a Google search using the keywords “cruise ship pollution”. You should get a mountain of hits. Read them at your leisure... or horror. Its been my observation over the last several years that virtually no one has any knowledge about how cruise ships work or their operational policies. This includes legislators, and city managers.

A handful of Caribbean nations have some attempts towards cruise ship regulations in place. It might be useful for Bonaire managers to analyze what places like Bermuda or the Cayman Islands have implemented.

 

[DiverVince]

Cogently stated Liz! additionally, I for one will feel much better when they get the new waste water & electric plant completed. Glad they are finally taking some action on this.This will help the environment immensely. Personally however I do eschew town when the ships are in port.

 

[kmcneer]

This is an interesting video about wast water on Bonaire as it is now.
If you have trouble viewing search Bonaire on youtube

 

[Web Monkey]

If Bonaire gets cruise ships, it’s a foregone conclusion that shipboard sewage will either get dumped into your local infrastructure or unobtrusively dropped into your local waters. Cruise ships are unable to store all their sewage onboard for very long; they are not closed systems.
http://globalcoral.org/CORAL REEFS. SEWAGE, AND WATER QUALITY STANDARDS.htm

That's completely avoidable by requiring all ships to handle their own wastewater internally.

New ships contain sewage treatment plants. The water produced is clean enough to use to wash the decks. If Bonaire doesn't have the capability to properly handle ship sewage, the ships that don't properly handle their own should be prevented from docking.

Terry

 

[archman]

That's completely avoidable by requiring all ships to handle their own wastewater internally.

New ships contain sewage treatment plants. The water produced is clean enough to use to wash the decks. If Bonaire doesn't have the capability to properly handle ship sewage, the ships that don't properly handle their own should be prevented from docking.

This is another common myth of the cruise ship industry. Sure *some* of the newer ships are built with fancy wastewater treatment systems. But it's a heck of a lot cheaper and easier on the machinery to just not use it. The inspection program performed by Alaska several years ago clearly documented this. It was common for ships carrying treatment systems to either have them turned off, deliberately sabotaged, or otherwise inoperable. Ergo, some/most/all of their colossal black/grey wastewater went right into the drink. Often well within sight of land, or even in the harbour.

Advanced wastewater treatment systems are enormous electricity guzzlers and require detailed oversight and careful maintenance. If host countries or seaports lack regulations mandating this equipment, NOR back up such regulations with inspections and fines, you can bet your sweet butt that violations will be the norm rather than the exception.

We're talking about an industry with virtually no effective self-regulation of its waste emissions. Air or water. Operating in nations and cities where there either isn't any meaningful environmental regulation, or if there is, no way to monitor much else enforce it.

Which is why Alaska (and now other regions in the Pacific Northwest) is home to the most advanced cruise ships coming off the stocks. Unlike virtually everyone else, Alaska actually has a strict regulatory plan and is playing hardball. The reason Alaska gets the best ships is that the cruise lines' other ships can't meet the environmental requirements. Where do all those other ships end up?

Here's an excellent NGO report highlighting many of the key problems with cruise ship wastewater discharges and examples of regulatory policies recently enacted by more proactive regions. Plenty of information regarding actual cases of poo in the water, too.
http://www.bluewaternetwork.org/reports/rep_ss_kleinrep.pdf

 

[Web Monkey]

Advanced wastewater treatment systems are enormous electricity guzzlers and require detailed oversight and careful maintenance. If host countries or seaports lack regulations mandating this equipment, NOR back up such regulations with inspections and fines, you can bet your sweet butt that violations will be the norm rather than the exception.

And without police, people would help themselves to the contents of their friendly local bank.

The technology exists. All that is necessary is for destinations to require and enforce it's use.

Terry

 

[Thalassamania]

And without police, people would help themselves to the contents of their friendly local bank.

The technology exists. All that is necessary is for destinations to require and enforce it's use.

Terry

I fear that in my experience they lack the will and the infrastructure. And even with water treatment, the air still stinks of diesel as long as the ships are in, there's never enough shore power so they have to keep the generators going.