CARNIVALs Princess cruise Lines Ltd has agreed that it will pay a $1m penalty on top of the $20m penalty it received two year ago for violating its probation in relation to environmental crimes.
In 2016, Carnival was fined $40m for dumping waste into the sea and covering it up. The settlement required that the company serve a five-year probation, and be monitored by a court appointed monitor. Carnival ships dumped 66,000 gallon of ballast water in Bahamian waters during the probation period, according to monitors.
Six violations of the company’s Environmental Compliance Plan were ultimately alleged by federal prosecutors. This included discharging plastic mixed food waste into Bahamian waterways. The settlement agreement between Carnival and the US District Court Judge Patricia Seitz was approved in 2019. It would see Carnival pay a $20m penalty and be subject to enhanced inspections due to the violations.
The Miami Herald reported this month Princess’ failure to set up an independent investigation office, which was a condition for the company’s probation.
The statement was made by Juan Antonio Gonzalez, US Attorney for the Southern District of Florida. He stated that corporate defendants must comply with court orders just like individual defendants. They are not above law.
He stated that the corporate defendant in this case ignored the court and instead chose to stop the compliance plan which was put in place for the protection of our environment. This probation violation proceeding shows that the government will not tolerate defendants who blatantly violate court orders.
According to The Miami Herald last October, an independent third-party auditor was sent a letter to the US District Court for Southern District of Florida. The monitor had been appointed by the court. The letter stated that Carnival’s repeated failures to follow the rules of its probation reflected a deeper barrier: A culture that seeks out to minimize or avoid information that is negative or uncomfortable for the company. This includes top leadership.
Carnival spokeswoman told the Herald that Carnival is honoring its probation and working to improve internal investigations.
According to the spokesperson, compliance, environment protection, and the health, safety, and well being of our guests, crew members, and shoreside workers, are our top priorities.
