ROYAL CARIBBEAN: AN ENIVIRONMENTAL LEGEND IN ITS OWN MIND?

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ROYAL CARIBBEAN: AN ENIVIRONMENTAL LEGEND IN ITS OWN MIND?

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ROYAL CARIBBEAN: AN ENIVIRONMENTAL LEGEND IN ITS OWN MIND?

Cruise Company Pats its Own Back for Environmental Practices (Because Nobody Else

DC., WASHINGTON, Dec. 10 -/E-Wire/-- In a display of absurd and self serving public relations, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE: RCL) decided to present Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. an award last week for "Environmental Innovation."

Royal Caribbean's Best Environmental Innovation of the Year Award is a prize given annually by the company to itself. Judging for the award is conducted by what Royal Caribbean calls an "independent external auditing firm," though the firm in question, Haley & Aldrich of Boston, MA, is in fact paid by Royal Caribbean and the only ships in competition for the award are Royal Caribbean ships.

"This is the equivalent of sending yourself a bunch of valentines and then spouting off about how popular you are," said Dana DuBose, cruise pollution campaign director for the non-profit ocean advocacy group Oceana. "While they're at it, they might as well give themselves the Ocean Dumping Innovation Award and the Disturbance of Pristine Ocean Spots Award."

Royal Caribbean's 27-ship cruise fleet produces and dumps millions of gallons of inadequately treated sewage and wastewater into the ocean every day. The company has installed advanced wastewater treatment facilities on three of its Alaska-bound ships, Alaska being the one state that has strict discharge standards, but has refused Oceana's request to install the facilities fleet-wide. Worse, the company promotes itself as an environmental leader yet is under court-ordered probation for past environmental offenses. It has paid millions in fines for illegal discharges – even for the dumping of toxic chemicals – more than any other cruise company.

"We plan to give the company our own award of 100,000 pledges from consumers who won't take a cruise with Royal Caribbean until it cleans up its environmental act," added DuBose.

Citizens interested in learning more about Oceana's campaign to stop cruise pollution are encouraged to call Oceana toll-free at 1-877-7-OCEANA, or visit the website at www.stopcruisepollution.com.

Oceana is a non-profit international advocacy organization dedicated to restoring and protecting the world's oceans through policy advocacy, science, law and public education. Founded in 2001, Oceana's constituency includes members and activists from more than 150 countries and territories who are committed to saving the world's marine environment. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., Oceana has additional offices in key U.S. coastal areas, a South American office in Santiago, Chile, and a European office in Madrid, Spain.

http://www.stopcruisepollution.com.

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