Cruise lines agree
to report sewage spillsA critic complains that the pact
is voluntary and has no penalties
in case of violations
If a cruise ship illegally releases sewage in Hawaii waters, it must report the spill within 10 days, according to a tentative agreement reached between the state and a cruise industry group.
The new rule would put responsibility for reporting a discharge on the company, instead of forcing the state to have to check records to find problems, said Larry Lau, state deputy director for environmental health. The agreement was reached Thursday between the Department of Health and the North West CruiseShip Association.
The industry says there have been no illegal discharges during the past year, but the state hasn't had the staff to check ship records to confirm that assertion, Lau said.
State and industry officials met privately Thursday morning to review possible changes to the "memorandum of understanding" that has governed cruise ship pollution control in Hawaii since October.
The other proposed change would require cruise ships to have oil-spill response plans that pre-arrange cleanup services, Lau said.
Both proposed changes must be signed by the state and the industry to take effect, Lau said, adding that he hopes that happens in the next two months.
Jeff Mikulina, state director of the Sierra Club, said the proposed changes are a step in the right direction but they don't address that cruise line compliance with Hawaii regulations is voluntary, with no fines and no funding for state inspections.
"If the cruise ship industry had a clean record, perhaps an MOU would suffice," said Mikulina. "But with their track record of chronic criminal behavior, the state must do more to hold the industry accountable to their promises."
An Associated Press analysis of U.S. Coast Guard data between 1991 and Dec. 31, 2000, found cruise ships suspected of causing 172 spills nationwide. Most spills were minor and accidental, but the exceptions were serious, the study concluded.
The data show six sites in Hawaii waters that were polluted by the cruise ship industry during the period.
California Gov. Gray Davis signed legislation Thursday that prohibits waste dumping in its state waters -- and provides for penalties of up to $25,000 a day for violations, Mikulina said.
"California has recognized the importance of having the force of law versus a mere promise," Mikulina said. "Hawaii's stunning coastal waters deserve at least the same amount of protection as California's."
John Hansen, president of the nonprofit North West CruiseShip Association, has said in the past that it is in the cruise lines' own financial interest to be careful about the environment.
In 2002, more than 177,000 people cruised the Hawaiian Islands, a 43 percent increase from the previous year.
The members of the association are Carnival Cruise Lines, Celebrity Cruises, Crystal Cruises, Holland America Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Radisson Seven Seas Cruises, Royal Caribbean International, Seabourn Cruises and World Explorer Cruises.
