JUNEAU — Several cruise lines have been found to be in violation of Alaska air pollution regulations.
The violations were revealed Friday in Norwegian Cruise Line's quarterly Security and Exchange Commission filing. SEC filings filed July 31 also indicate that the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation cited Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises for similar alleged violations, reported The Juneau Empire.
The major cruise lines have allegedly violated the Alaska Marine Vessel Visible Emission Standards, which concern the opacity of visible emissions from ships within three miles of shore. The standards only regulate what the emission plume looks like, and not what it contains or its effects on public health.
In an email Sunday, DEC spokeswoman Candice Bressler said the state has found 49 violations involving 19 vessels between 2010 and 2014.
NCL's SEC statement says they are "cooperating with the state of Alaska and conducting our own internal investigation into these matters. However, we do not believe the ultimate outcome will have a material impact on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows."
Royal Caribbean similarly states, "We believe we have meritorious defenses to the allegations and we are cooperating with the state of Alaska."
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. settled past violations of the opacity requirement in 2000. The company was required to pay for a five-year $250,000 cruise ship opacity monitoring program.