Trash Flotilla on South Side

[MarineResearch]

Yes, and while it would be great if nothing was dumped you will notice the original poster was not talking about as your article mentions, not sure about the rags bug the carboard would go away pretty quick and heck, a lot of people put ground up glass on the bottoms of their fishtanks .

Well a simple Google search shows the magnitude of the problem. The article that I cited was edited down from it's original source, but a longer version of the same MSNBC article also noted that almost anything can be legally dumped 25 miles from shore.

Caribbean slow to plug cruise ship pollution - U.N.-backed ban exists, but nations lack facilities, worry about losing ships/

The US EPA has also studied the problem in heavily regulated US waters and found several problems.

Cruise Ship Discharge Assessment Report

So cruise ships can legally dump shredded waste and sewage, which seems fairly consistent with the OP's observation:

Mostly shredded plastic but everything mixed in from food containers, to flip flops, to bottles and cans and even human waste.

If the discharge occurred 25 miles offshore, then dumping of the intact trash would also be legal.

 

[RTBDiver]

Well a simple Google search shows the magnitude of the problem. .

If it were such a simple google search then why did you not cite something relevent to the thread? I have seen the stuff, have you?? Sorry but cruise ships are not known for carrying all sizes of plastic soda bottles, styrafoam coolers, dozens of cheap plastic play balls and soccer balls, likely originating in China. This is the vast majority and none is ground up Face it, your first post in this thread asking about if cruise ships were around was rediculous considering the volume alone, we have cruise ships year round and this is not yet the busy cruise season. Not sure about your name here as it seems you have not done lot of research.
Sure, we can all manipulate facts, as a matter of fact, pickles have been eaten by over 75% of the people who died in the US this past year, maybe pickles are the great demise.
If you look at even the articles you posted you could also have posted these quotes

Under the current Caribbean regulations, ships can begin dumping garbage, including metal, glass and paper, three miles from shore as long as it is ground to less than an inch. Almost anything but plastic can be dumped beyond 25 miles.

NOTICE, No Plastic

You forgot this quote too From YOUR LINK

Most ships under the umbrella of the Cruise Lines International Association have stopped discharges of solid waste in the Caribbean, according to a statement from the Florida-based group. It said some cruise liners, equipped with on-board incinerators, compactors and recycling programs, now generate less non-recycled waste than resorts on land.

AND you forgot to quote this from one of your links

The amount of garbage washing up on the islands from cruise ships has decreased significantly over the last 15 years, said Allen Chastanet, a former chairman of the Caribbean Tourism Organization

 

[susan6868]

This afternoon while heading out to dive near Mahogany Bay area, we needed to stop as something got caught in the prop. One guy grabbed his mask and jumped in to see what we had snagged. Lo and behold he pulled a bicycle seat that had we hit.

No sign of the bike rider. I don't think he made it......................

 

[RTBDiver]

This afternoon while heading out to dive near Mahogany Bay area, we needed to stop as something got caught in the prop. One guy grabbed his mask and jumped in to see what we had snagged. Lo and behold he pulled a bicycle seat that had we hit.

No sign of the bike rider. I don't think he made it......................

Dang Nammit,
I havebeen trying to explain to the other guy this is a pretty normal thing and not cruise related and now you come up with this?? I am sure this guy must have been in a spinning biking health class, could not keep up and strolled off the edge of the ship to save face

 

[MarineResearch]

If it were such a simple google search then why did you not cite something relevent to the thread? I have seen the stuff, have you?? Sorry but cruise ships are not known for carrying all sizes of plastic soda bottles, styrafoam coolers, dozens of cheap plastic play balls and soccer balls, likely originating in China. This is the vast majority and none is ground up Face it, your first post in this thread asking about if cruise ships were around was rediculous considering the volume alone, we have cruise ships year round and this is not yet the busy cruise season. Not sure about your name here as it seems you have not done lot of research.
Sure, we can all manipulate facts, as a matter of fact, pickles have been eaten by over 75% of the people who died in the US this past year, maybe pickles are the great demise.
If you look at even the articles you posted you could also have posted these quotes



NOTICE, No Plastic

You forgot this quote too From YOUR LINK



AND you forgot to quote this from one of your links

Actually I didn't forget to quote anything. The articles clearly state what is legal/illegal, and what actually happens. If people all blindly followed the law we wouldn't need the police and the cruise lines would not have been fined so many times by the US Department of Justice. This is not just a problem in Roatan, but a worldwide issue with cruise ships and shipping in general. The US west coast has had significant issues with illegal dumping from ships, including cruise ships. If you would like, I can retrieve a list of violations from the US DOJ. The bottom line is that it is cheaper to get caught and fined that it is to comply with the MARPOL regulations.

You also seem to think that I really give a **** about where the trash pile came from. I don't. Cruise ship dumping is well documented, and yes, I have seen them dumping at sea. It is also well documented that ships in general, from cruise ships to tankers to container ships, dump waste products and lose cargo. I also have no doubt that local sources also contribute significantly to the trash problem. I was completely appalled by the amount of trash in the waters off many islands in the Philippines, Indonesia, Mexico and even Roatan. This is not an all or nothing issue, with trash/pollution coming from many sources. People throw the strangest things off of cruise ships, including spouses, you might want to recheck the trash piles to see what you find.

 

[gcarter]

Well, it was still a problem in the Caribbean as recently as this article in 2009.

Caribbean cruise ships dump garbage at sea

In Spain a few years back, I was disgusted with what was washing up on the Med beaches. The issue there is combined sewer systems overflowing. Halifax harbour still has issues. There are all kinds of places where raw sewage is dumped straight into various bodies of water.

It isn't just cruise ships. It is also your neighbvours.

 

[JCAT]

Interesting article. I don't think Saba can handle any ship beyond mega yacht size. Certainly nothing the size of RC, Carnival, Princess, ect. as it doesn't have a deep water port.

Sloppy research by whomever wrote it.

 

[RickyF]

I am on Roatan also with Susan and her husband. This is my fourth trip to Roatan and this is the first time I have seen it this bad. I love this place and i know that there are many factors playing into this situation. I can only imagine the problems with the locals having a good way to dispose of trash on a small island, especially as poor as Roatan. It's sometimes easy for us to place blame, but the fact remains that this is NOT what I have normally encountered on my trips here.

 

[godive19]

I was on the north shore and while these was more trash than usual, it was not like what you are describing. I noticed on a dive at light house point, where the north and south currents converge, that there was a line of trash that must have strung out for about a half mile or longer. ( a calm zone between the currents). The trash in this are was NOT from cruise ships. There is a lot of construction going on in the west end and northwest sides and the run off from this caused the water to be completely brown for about a day after one of the hard rains. I suspect that the runoff brought the trash as well.

 

[Mike]

This afternoon while heading out to dive near Mahogany Bay area, we needed to stop as something got caught in the prop. One guy grabbed his mask and jumped in to see what we had snagged. Lo and behold he pulled a bicycle seat that had we hit.

No sign of the bike rider. I don't think he made it......................

Cruise ship in the area?

Royal Caribbean International operates some of the most environmentally friendly cruise ships in the world. Because we understand our responsibility to protect the oceans we sail, we abide by strict "Above and Beyond Compliance" environmental policies.

We demonstrate environmental stewardship and sustainability by using management systems that meet voluntary international standards, including ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 14001:2004 quality and environmental standards. In fact, Royal Caribbean was the first cruise line to use an environmental management system certified to the ISO 14001 standard.

In addition, each of our ships has an environmental officer responsible for:

Oversight of the company's onboard environmental program
Environmental training for every crew member
Liquid and solid hazardous- and non-hazardous waste management
Chemical management and workplace safety

Royal Caribbean's environmental policies guide both shipboard and shoreside employees in safe environmental practices day-to-day. From our Board of Directors, to our newest employee, from the captain to each crewmember, we are responsible stewards of the marine environment and the ports we visit.

Recent Awards and Recognition

Royal Caribbean has been recognized throughout the regions we operate for environmental responsibility. Here are just a few of the awards we have received:

2009
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[TD]Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. - Virgin Holidays, Responsible Tourism Award Winner for Best Cruise or Ferry Operator[/TD]
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[TD]Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. - Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce Sustainable South Florida Award Winner for Green Business[/TD]
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[TD]Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. - Nor-Shipping Clean Sea Award for Oasis of the Seas’ Advanced Wastewater Purification System[/TD]
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[TD]Mariner of the Seas - Port of San Francisco Environmental Gold Award[/TD]
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[TD]Radiance of the Seas - Port of San Francisco Environmental Gold Award[/TD]
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[TD]Serenade of the Seas - Port of San Francisco Environmental Gold Award[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]


2008
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[TD]Liberty of the Seas - RCL Environmental Ship of the Year, RCL Innovative Ship of the Year[/TD]
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[TD]Mariner of the Seas - Nature Conservancy Oyster Bed Project and Award[/TD]
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[TD]Radiance of the Seas - Kuoni Green Planet Award, Port of San Francisco Environmental Award - Gold[/TD]
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2007[TABLE="width: 100%"]
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[/TD]
[TD]Freedom of the Seas - RCL Environmental Ship of the Year, RCL Innovative Ship of the Year[/TD]
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[/TD]
[TD]Jewel of the Seas - Kuoni Green Planet Award[/TD]
[/TR]
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[TD]

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[TD]Mariner of the Seas - Nature Conservancy Oyster Bed Project and Award[/TD]
[/TR]
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[TD]

[/TD]
[TD]Radiance of the Seas - Port of San Francisco Environmental Award - Gold[/TD]
[/TR]
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[/TD]
[TD]Vision of the Seas - Prince Rupert Alaska Environmental Award[/TD]
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[TD]Voyager of the Seas - Kuoni Green Planet Award[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]


2006[TABLE="width: 100%"]
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[/TD]
[TD]Adventure of the Seas - Kuoni Green Planet Award[/TD]
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[/TD]
[TD]Brilliance of the Seas - Kuoni Green Planet Award , RCL Innovative Ship of the Year[/TD]
[/TR]
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[TD]

[/TD]
[TD]Jewel of the Seas - Kuoni Green Planet Award, Port of Stockholm Environment Life Buoy[/TD]
[/TR]
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[TD]

[/TD]
[TD]Mariner of the Seas - Nature Conservancy Oyster Bed Project and Award[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

[/TD]
[TD]Rhapsody of the Seas - Kuoni Green Planet Award[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

[/TD]
[TD]Serenade of the Seas - Kuoni Green Planet Award[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

[/TD]
[TD]Splendour of the Seas - Kuoni Green Planet Award[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

[/TD]
[TD]Voyager of the Seas - Kuoni Green Planet Award[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

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