In Falmouth, Jamaica, the Port Authority of Jamaica is continuing to pursue dredging projects in order to permit the gigantic "mega liners," including Royal Caribbean’s Oasis Class (sometimes called "Genesis-class") cruise ships to squeeze into the port, which was rebuilt in 2011. During the construction of the two new two piers, the port was originally dredged.
Jail Time for Captain of Reef-Destroying Caledonian Sky?
There’s still considerable talk about the ecological damage caused by the Caledonian Sky cruise ship which smashed a wide area of coral reef in Raja Ampat, Indonesia two weeks ago.
The local Minister for Maritime Affairs was quoted as saying that the damage to the ancient coral reefs was "devastating and irreparable," according to an
Reef Damage Adds to Cruise Industry’s Image as Enemy of Environment
The cruise industry has always struggled with its environmental image. The "big three" cruise lines (Carnival, Norwegian and Royal Caribbean) were fined tens of millions of dollars collectively in the 1990’s and 2000’s for dumping pollutants into the water and lying to the U.S. Coast Guard.
Cruise lines argue that their days of dumping at
Insanity: Caymans to Build Cruise Pier
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According to the Cayman Compass, the premier of the Cayman Islands says the government intends to build a huge, monolithic concrete cruise pier in George Town harbor.
The environmental impact assessments indicate that the controversial dredge and fill project will cause significant and irreversible environmental damage to the ancient beautiful reefs in the Caymans.
The
Cruise Industry Poised to Destroy Cayman Reefs
The Caymans is the latest island in the Caribbean where the cruise lines are beating their drums for a new multi-million dollar pier to be built for them in order to expand the business of cruising.
I saw this same scenario unfold in Falmouth, Jamaica where Royal Caribbean ram-roded a plan to dredge ancient coral
Norwegian Dawn Hits Reef Near Bermuda
A friend just notified me that the Port Bermuda cam operated by PTZtv shows that the NCL Norwegian Dawn has just hit a reef near the port.
The cruise ship reportedly launched lifeboats, although there is no indication that anyone was injured. The weather looks nice. The boats may have been checking the damage to
Carnival Magic Crushes Coral Reef in Cayman Islands
A newspaper in the Cayman Islands reports that the Carnival Magic cruise ship severely damaged a pristine coral reef when it anchored in an unauthorized zone near George Town on Wednesday,
The newspaper quotes the deputy director of the Cayman’s Department of Environment saying that “the impact where the anchor landed was very severe; there was
Belize Tourism Industry Association Sues NCL to Block Mega Cruise “Harvest Caye” Development in Belize
Belize 7 News reports in an article "BTIA Gets Their First Day In Court Against NCL" that the Belize Tourism Industry Association (BTIA) is trying to block the Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) "mega cruise development" on Harvest Caye in Southern Belize.
BTIA argues that under pressure from Miami-based NCL, Belize’s Department of Environment (DOE) rushed the
Royal Caribbean’s New Port in Falmouth, Jamaica – At What Cost to the Environment?
I have written about Royal Caribbean’s new port development in the town of Falmouth Jamaica before. It seems to me that the new development for the cruise line perpetuates the historical master (cruise line) – servant (Jamaica) relationship which continues to exploit the Jamaican people.
My tour of Falmouth reinforced those beliefs. Most of the
MSC Poesia Destroys Reef in the Bahamas – Cruise Ship with 26′ Draft Sailed Into 15′ Waters
The MSC Poesia cruise ship ran aground into a reef in the Bahamas this weekend while sailing to Port Lucaya near Freeport, Bahamas.
The 93,000-ton cruise ship needs twenty-five feet of draft but sailed into only fifteen (15) feet of water. The video below show that the vessel ground into and destroyed a substantial length of the fragile reef.