The investigation that revealed the dark side of the cruise trip

Eight tons of solid waste and 75,000 liters of human waste per week, a structure for pay less taxes and the difficulty of solving a crime committed in your facilities they are part of dark side of the cruise, revealed through a journalistic investigation.

The multimedia report "Vacaciones en aguas de nadie", signed by Ronny Rojas, Alejandra Vargas M., Damià Bonmati, Patricia Clarembeaux and Maye Primera, journalists from Univision, won the Ortega y Gbadet award from the Spanish newspaper The country.

The survey badyzed Carnival Corporation, Royal Caribbean International and Norwegian Cruise Line, three of the largest companies in the world – with 82% of the global market and a profit of 2,800 million USD in 2016.

Although They are headquartered in the United States and are listed on the stock exchange of this country. These companies pay less taxes and escape environmental controls. of this nation by "a complex operational structure in different countries and tax havens".

The report contains data of 266 cruises (there is currently 411 service) and most of the boats are registered in Bahamas, Panama, Bermuda and Malta. None of the ships were made in the United States and most are 20 years old or older.

The question of the countries where ships are registered is not just about the payment of taxes and the wages of workers on board, a key point is when a crime is committed during the cruise.

When a crime is committed, companies must register and make the information available to the public and the FBI, but only in the case of crimes against US citizens. If the person concerned has another nationality, the investigation is left to the authorities of the country where the cruise was registered, which can make the process very slow.

Work more than 70 hours a week without holidays or holidays they are another dark points of cruises because US labor laws do not apply to these vessels.

However, the most worrying problem is the environmental impactbecause in the report you will find several examples of poor waste management practices.

In a week, on a cruise of 3,000 pbadengers, more than 370,000 liters of water are released from toilets and dishwashers, as well as toxic waste from washing clothes.

The International Cruise Lines Association (CLIA), which brings together the 58 major cruise lines, has denied much of what was published in the report and denied – for example – that garbage is thrown into the sea , strict code to treat waste.