Carnival Corporation reached a settlement on Monday, June 3, with federal prosecutors in which the largest cruise line in the world agreed to pay a USD 20 million penalty because its vessels continued to pollute the oceans, despite the previous criminal conviction that was aimed at curbing similar conduct.
The agreement was approved by Senior US District Judge Patricia Seitz after Carnival Chief Executive Officer Arnold Donald stood up in open court and admitted the responsibility of the company for probation violations stemming from the previous case.
Carnival Corp. admitted violating terms of probation from 2016 criminal conviction for discharging oily waste from the corporation's Princess Cruise Lines vessels and covering it up. Carnival paid a US$40 million fine and was put on 5 years’ probation in the case, which affected all 9 of its cruise brands that boast over 100 ships.
Currently, Carnival has acknowledged that in the years since its vessels have committed environmental crimes like dumping “grey water” in prohibited places including Alaska’s Glacier Bay NP and knowingly allowing the plastic to be discharged along with food waste in the Bahamas, that poses a severe threat to marine life.
The corporation admitted falsifying compliance documents and administrative violations like having cleanup teams visit its vessels just before scheduled inspections.