Carnival, Royal Caribbean to Appeal Massive Cuban Cruise Port Fines

Officials from the Carnival Corporation and Royal Caribbean Cruises announced plans to appeal a fine issued by a United States court related to the usage of a port in Havana confiscated by the Cuban government in 1960.

According to Reuters.com, District Judge Beth Bloom said in a Miami court last week that two U.S. citizens who claim to be descendants of the original owners of the Havana Cruise Port Terminal would be awarded almost $440 million.

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The plaintiff in the case—Havana Docks Corp—filed the lawsuit against the cruise lines under the Helms-Burton Act, which allows U.S. nationals to sue over the use of property seized in Cuba after 1959.

“This is a very important ruling by Judge Bloom,” Havana Docks attorney Roberto Martinez said. “The commercial use of confiscated property in Cuba in violation of U.S. law carries clearly detailed and well-known and publicized legal consequences.”

“The undisputed facts established that the cruise lines collected in excess of $1.2 billion in revenues from their cruises that used the confiscated terminal and paid nothing to Havana Docks Corp or the Cuban people,” Martinez continued.

Bloom originally ruled in March that “the use of the port constituted trafficking in confiscated property.” The verdict will force both Carnival and Royal Caribbean to pay around $110 million each, but both companies said they disagreed with the ruling and would appeal the decision.

Carnival spokesperson Jody Venturoni told the Miami Herald that, despite the ruling, her company doesn’t believe it was in the wrong. “Carnival Corporation engaged in lawful travel explicitly licensed, authorized and encouraged by the U.S. government,” she said. “We strongly disagree with both the ruling and judgment, and plan to appeal these decisions.”

Other cruise lines impacted by the decision include Norwegian Cruise Line and MSC Cruises. Court records show the cruise lines pulled in revenues of at least $1.1 billion and paid Cuban government entities $138 million by engaging in these activities.

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