Tackling The Issues: ICCL Stands Its Ground
With its shining reputation besmirched in recent years with a list of transgressions, from illegal dumping to sexual assault, the cruise industry has been under the legislative microscope. The International Council of Cruise Lines (ICCL) works to ensure that its member lines are kept abreast on current issues dealing with topics related to the environment, safety and legislation, to name a few. In order to examine these issues to the core, MR/EN tapped the expertise of Ted Thompson, a retired U.S. Coast Guard captain, who now serves as ICCL's executive director. The cruise industry because of its high profile is constantly under fire regarding various issues…
RCI President Apologizes For Alaska Pollution
The president of Royal Caribbean International toured ports of call in Alaska on Friday to apologize in person for the pollution of the state's waters by the cruise line's ships. Royal Caribbean last month agreed to pay a record-high $18 million fine to U.S. authorities for dumping oily bilge and chemical wastes at sea, as well as into U.S. ports and wild waterways. The line plead guilty to 21 felonies, including falsifying logs and lying to the U.S. Coast Guard, and admitted Royal Caribbean ships were rigged with secret bypass pipes, which were used to dump used dry-cleaning chemicals and other waste. The fine, the highest ever assessed by a cruise line for polluting U.S. waters, followed $9 million in fines Royal Caribbean agreed to pay in 1998.
Navigating Rough Waters
The spate of recent accidents at sea involving high profile cruise ships has spurred fears among owners and operators that once again the long arm of the law will be reaching out to demand new levels of safety products, systems and procedures onboard luxury cruise liners. The cruise shipping industry, which has enjoyed unprecedented growth for much of the decade, has been beset by some unsightly accidents and mishaps that have raised the watchful eyes of legislators around the globe. AAt a recent hearing on S. 1510, The United States Cruise Ship Tourism Development Act, Senator John McCain, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, said in his opening statement: "I believe that continued failure by the international cruise industry to abide by all U.S.
Recent Accidents Spur Industry Fear Of Legislation
The spate of recent accidents at sea involving high profile cruise ships has spurred fears among owners and operators that once again the long arm of the law will be reaching out to demand new levels of safety products, systems and procedures onboard luxury cruise liners. The cruise shipping industry, which has enjoyed unprecedented growth for much of the decade, has been beset by some unsightly accidents and mishaps that have raised the watchful eyes of legislators around the globe. At a recent hearing on S. 1510, The United States Cruise Ship Tourism Development Act, Senator John McCain, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, said in his opening statement: "I believe that continued failure by the international cruise industry to abide by all U.S.
