Cruise & Cruise Line

Carnival Agrees to Pay $20 Million Pollution Settlement

Image: PHOTO: Carnival Horizon in New York. (photo via Brian Major)
Image: PHOTO: Carnival Horizon in New York. (photo via Brian Major)
Donald Wood
by Donald Wood
Last updated: 8:16 AM ET, Tue June 4, 2019

The Carnival Corporation & plc agreed to pay a $20 million penalty as part of a settlement with federal prosecutors after it was discovered the largest cruise line was still polluting waters around the world.

According to The Miami Herald, Carnival CEO Arnold Donald plead guilty Monday on behalf of the company to "six probation violations related to illegal discharging of waste water, plastics and other harmful material."

A federal judge in Miami approved the settlement and penalty, as well as coming to an agreement with the cruise line on necessary steps to improve compliance with environmental laws.

Carnival was placed on probation in 2016 after the company was convicted of discharging oily wastes from its Princess Cruise Lines ships. In that case, Carnival was also fined $40 million and eight different vessels were subjected to an environmental-monitoring program for five years.

In total, Carnival operates nine cruise brands and 105 ships worldwide.

The 2016 case was the third time in 18 years that Carnival had been convicted of such a crime and accused of covering it up.


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Donald Wood

Donald Wood

Managing Editor

Donald Wood is TravelPulse’s Managing Editor, bringing nearly 15 years of experience to the desk. He currently lives outside Philadelphia with his wife and two children.

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