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MIAMI (AP) – Carnival Corp. Monday concluded an agreement with federal prosecutors, in which the largest cruise company in the world has agreed to pay a fine of $ 20 million, his ships continuing to pollute the oceans despite a criminal conviction to suppress such acts.
US District Chief Judge Patricia Seitz approved the agreement after Carnival Chair Arnold Donald rose in open court and acknowledged the company's responsibility for the breaches of probation. of the previous environmental case.
"The company pleads guilty," Arnold said six times in a crowded audience, reuniting other top Carnival executives, including the company's president and Miami Heat owner, Micky Arison.
"We recognize the shortcomings. I am here today to formulate a plan to fix them, "Arnold added.
"The proof will be in the pudding, huh?" Replied the judge. "If you did not have all the environment, you would have nothing to sell."
Carnival has admitted to violating the terms of his sentence following a criminal conviction in 2016 for dumping oil waste from his Princess Cruise Lines. Carnival was fined $ 40 million and sentenced to a five-year probation period, which affected the nine cruise lines with more than 100 vessels.
Today, Carnival has acknowledged that its vessels have committed environmental offenses, such as the dumping of "greywater" into prohibited places such as Glacier Bay National Park. Alaska, and the knowing refusal to unload plastic and food waste in the Bahamas, which is a serious problem. threat to marine life.
The company also admitted to falsifying compliance documents and other administrative infractions, such as the fact that cleaning crews visited its vessels just before scheduled inspections.
At a previous hearing, Seitz had threatened to ban Carnival from berthing in US ports because of the violations and had stated that it could hold the leaders individually responsible for violations of the conditions. of probation.
"What worries me is that senior management does not have any skin in the game," Seitz said, adding that future violations could be punished by jail time and prison sentences. criminal fines. "My goal is to change the behavior of the accused."
As part of this transaction, Carnival had promised additional audits to verify violations, a restructuring of the company's training and compliance programs, a better system for reporting environmental violations to federal and national agencies. and better waste management practices.
The agreement would also set the September 13 and October 9 deadlines to create an enhanced compliance plan and make other amendments, subject to fines of $ 1 million per day. if these deadlines are not respected. If a second set of deadlines is not met, the fines could reach $ 10 million a day.
Among the other proposed changes, Carnival must reduce the use of single-use plastic items throughout its fleet and create "tiger teams" to improve the systems. food and beverage vessels and waste management at sea.
Seitz retires later this year and entrusts the case to US District Judge Ursula Ungaro, who co-chaired Monday's hearing.
The hearing was chaired by three people who claimed to be victims of Carnival's environmental violations. Their lawyer, Knoll Lowney, expressed skepticism that Carnival would keep its word this time.
"Carnival has always shown its contempt for environmental laws and the law," he said. "Here we are again."
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Follow Curt Anderson on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Miamicurt
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