A trade organization publication, Cruise Industry News, recently released a promotional, public relations piece about MSC Cruises.
The cruise line assisted in releasing a baby seal, named Selso, back into his natural environment. The 2 year old seal had been stranded on a beach and had undergone rehabilitation at uShaka Sea World,
MSC congratulated itself in this statement:
"We at MSC consider ourselves Guardians of the Seas and treat the oceans of the world with the .jpg)
utmost respect, believing that by acting green and protecting the biodiversity, we can all help keep the waters blue. Oceans and life in the oceans are inextricably connected with humans and Selso’s heart-warming story is just a proof of that."
The problem with this over-the-top, self-laudatory statement is that it contrasts sharply with the last story which we wrote about MSC. The cruise line was caught dumping plastic garbage bags into the waters of Brazil near a marine sanctuary. You can see the video of the dumping here.
This is a story which Cruise Industry News did not cover.
The discharge of plastics and other non biodegradable materials causes great harm to the marine environment. It causes injury, suffering and death to marine life, including seals.
MSC Cruises the Guardians of the Seas?
This award shouldn’t be based on a highly publicized public relations stunt but on what the MSC cruise ships are doing routinely at sea, under the cover of at night, far away from the public’s eyes.
Question of the Day: Are cruise lines still routinely dumping garbage bags at sea? This was common in the 1980’s and even 1990’s, but not so much today it seems. Are some cruise lines still throwing garbage bags into the ocean at night? Leave a comment below or send us an email: jim@cruiselaw.com.