A judge has threatened to block cruise ships owned by the Carnival Corporation from docking at U.S. ports. This is due to the cruise company preparing ships before audits while on probation since a $40 million settlement in 2016 after dumping oil waste into the ocean.
Judge Threatens Carnival Corporation
The Miami Herald is reporting that a U.S. federal judge named Patricia Seitz has threatened the Carnival Corporation with the possibility of blocking all of its owned cruise ships from docking at ports in the United States.
The reason for this is the cruise company has been on probation for the past two years due to California based Princess Cruises releasing oil waste into the ocean in 2016 via a so-called “Magic Pipe” but what made it worse is that the cruise line tried to cover it up. A $40 million settlement was agreed in the end and the cruise line, which is owned by the Carnival Corporation, even released a public apology.
Since then the company has been monitored and on probation to make sure it is in compliance. However, authorities have now learned multiple cruise lines have been preparing ships before scheduled inspections. If a vessel has not been following the required standards and regulations and making changes just to pass inspection then this could be a new worry for authorities.
Judge Seitz said on Wednesday that Carnival should take the matter more seriously. She even suggested that Carnival Corp executives, including Ted Arison and Donald Arnold, attend a June hearing which is when a decision will be made about the new findings.
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There is a possibility that the cruise company could even be temporarily blocked from docking at U.S. based ports. This would have a huge impact on the industry and thousands of passengers who have booked a cruise with cruise lines such as Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Costa Cruises, P&O Cruises, and more.
All eyes will be on that June hearing and Cruise Hive will keep readers informed of any new developments.
