Do Cruise Ships Dump Waste In Ocean

Cruise ship discharges of solid waste are governed by two federal laws.

Do cruise ships dump waste in ocean. Cruise ships are floating norovirus delivery systems yes but they are also floating garbage disposals spewing plastic crap straight into the ocean. It is a general belief that cruise ships simply dump their garbage to the ocean. Although trash is often incinerated on-board and the ash is dumped into the ocean some ships have been fined for dumping their un-incinerated trash straight into the ocean.

When it comes to dumping sewage cruise ships still have the right to dump anywhere in the oceans except for near Alaska. A Royal Caribbean cruise ship sails up the Hudson River in New York City Gary HershornGetty Images. But beyond that point its essentially a.

This waste not only carries bacteria and viruses that are harmful to human health but can also sicken and kill marine life including corals. A general belief is that these enormous boats simply dump raw sewage and other pollutants straight into the oceans. However there have not been enough studies to prove this belief.

We advocate for laws and regulations to stop cruise ships from dumping waste into our oceans polluting our beaches contaminating our coral reefs and destroying our valuable marine ecology. Law allows cruise ships to dump raw sewage in the ocean once a ship is more than three miles off US. Title I of the Marine Protection Research and Sanctuaries Act makes it illegal to transport garbage from the United States for the purpose of dumping it into ocean waters without a permit or to dump material from outside the US.

Federal law requires that cruise ships only dump treated wastewater if they are within three nautical miles of shore. It is perfectly legal for cruise ships to dump treated sewage in the ocean as long as they are three miles offshore. These floating resorts dump over a billion gallons of sewage into the open ocean.

The average cruise ship produces seven tons of garbage and solid waste every day. The sewage on the cruise ship includes the wastewater from the bathrooms toilets urinals medical premises and other similar facilities. Cruise ships like Symphony have a designated waste and recycling center.