Bahamas' Minister of transport and local government Renward Wells recently announced that the government would investigate reports that Carnival Corporation-owned ships had dumped nearly 500,000 gallons of sewage in Bahamian waters in 2017.
Wells referred to the dumping as “allegations.” Carnival admitted the accidents occurred.
In 2016, Carnival Corp pleaded guilty to various charges stemming from dumping oily bilge water into the ocean between 2005-2013, and the company's systematic cover-up of illegal actions.
A US court fined the corporation USD 40 million and put on 5-year probation, the conditions of which included development and implementation of an ECP (environmental compliance plan).
Steven Solow was appointed by US District Judge Patricia Seitz to monitor Carnival Corporation during the probation period. Solow’s annual report, which covers the findings from the first year of ECP’s implementation, was made public by Seitz and revealed numerous instances of cruise ships improperly discharging sewage and food waste.
Wells added the government was in contact with Carnival and had already requested 2018 report, which had not yet been made public. In a recent statement, Carnival Corp. assured its commitment to addressing the issues in the report.