Carnival Cruise Line is facing a ban from U.S. ports if a threat from a federal judge is carried out. U.S. District Judge Patricia Seitz proposed the ban after Carnival possibly violated a probation against illegal polluting.
In 2017, a federal judge fined Princess Cruises, owned by Carnival Cruise Line, $40 million for illegally dumping oil-contaminated water into the ocean. The cruise line was also ordered to undergo five years of a court-supervised Environmental Compliance Program.
The company is alleged to have violated this probation by preparing ships prior to inspections, falsifying records, and dumping gray water in Glacier Bay National Park in Alaska.
The cruise ship industry is a major source of jobs in the Pacific Northwest, especially in Seattle and Alaska. The Holland-America Line, also owned by Carnival Cruise Line, is based in Seattle. Port of Seattle officials have indicated that they will monitor the outcome of the decision.
Judge Seitz requested Holland America Group CEO Stein Kruse, as well Carnival Chairman Micky Arison and CEO Donald Arnold, to appear at a June hearing. She will decide at the hearing whether or not to ban the ships.
