Florida surfers protest gambling ship sewage dumping

[struggle4progress]

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 2 March, 2007 : - -

SATELLITE BEACH, FL -- Members from the local Sebastian Inlet Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation traveled to Madeira Beach on Saturday, February 24, 2007 for a successful demonstration to protest the dumping of partially treated sewage by gambling ships just off the west coast.

Members young and old met with interested citizens and surfers alike for a beachside and in-ocean protest. More than thirty protestors gathered on the Johns Pass Bridge, on the beach, and in two boats holding signs and surfboards reading “Pump, Don’t Dump,” “Dilution Is Not The Solution” and “No Poo in the Big Blue.”

Local citizens also stopped by during their morning beach walks to see what the event was all about and joined the demonstration by holding banners and recruiting other passerbys. An airplane flying a large banner with the phase “Got Sewage? SunCruz Dumps It Daily!” circled the gambling ship during the mid-morning event ...

http://www.globalsurfnews.com/news.asp?Id_news=26535
http://www.surfersvillage.com.nyud.net:8090/img/st/groupshot1.jpg

[madeline_con]

1. I'm not defending Sun Cruz, but...

They all do it, why single them out?

[babylonsister]

2. Good on them! I just sent this to my dear friend who has a son

who surfs near there. Thanks!

[ngant17]

3. isn't the US Coast Guard supposed to enforce that

and levy milliion-dollar fines on the ships that violate the law in this manner? I know that the Coast Guard caught a Royal Caribbean cruise ship dumping raw sewage in the Caribbean about 10 years ago, the fine was considerable, in the millions of dollars, and also when the log books were inspected, there were phoney entries which cause additional fines.

However, this was during a Clinton Administration when the gov. actually enforced environmental laws that were already on the book.

[struggle4progress]

4. Cruise ship waste: All ashore?

Friday, February 9, 2007
Port urged to consider treating it for farms
By KRISTEN MILLARES BOLT
P-I REPORTER

The cruise ships that come to Seattle each summer bring something you don't find advertised in glossy brochures -- millions of gallons of human waste.

All that waste can fuel blooms of algae, the decomposition of which strips oxygen from the water and, if certain species grow, can make shellfish poisonous to people ...

"They make such a big deal about the systems they have bought for treating wastewater, but what they don't tell you is that after those fancy filters are done, they dump this concentrated crap into the ocean," said Fred Felleman, a Bluewater Network environmental consultant who is active in maritime environmental issues. "This is a great opportunity for the port to demonstrate its environmental leadership." ...

The vessels go 12 miles to dump the waste because of an international agreement that extends the U.S. protections against sewage sludge dumping by nine miles ...

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/303063_cruise09.html

[ngant17]

7. Pollution and Environmental Violations

Cruise ships are notorious for pollution in the ocean.

Cruise ships generate a wide range of man-made toxins, including perchloroethylene (PERC) from dry cleaning; benzene and toluene from paint and solvents; and oily waste from fuel and machine oil. PERC is linked to cancer and birth defects in humans, and even small amounts in water have been shown to be toxic to aquatic animals. Benzene is a known human carcinogen. Oil in even minute concentrations can kill fish. Consuming oil can kill birds and cause internal hemorrhaging or death in marine mammals.

<http://www.cruisejunkie.com/envirofines.html>

"The violations at Norwegian were some of the worst we've ever seen," Rick Langlois, EPA's Florida-based special agent in charge, said in an interview. "Almost every waste they had was going overboard."

Royal Caribbean admitted in court it had installed special pipes on some ships — removed before every scheduled Coast Guard inspection — to bypass pollution-control devices that prevent oily dumping. The line also pleaded guilty to dumping toxic chemicals used in dry cleaning, photo processing and other activities.

The Coast Guard shot aerial videotape in 1994 of an oil slick trailing Royal Caribbean's 900-foot ship Sovereign of the Seas near San Juan, Puerto Rico. Despite that and other photographic evidence, Royal Caribbean hired several high-powered former Justice Department lawyers to argue the federal government lacked jurisdiction to prosecute. Royal Caribbean is incorporated in Liberia.

[KT2000]

5. Surfers have done great things

about the pollution on California coasts. They have had successes!

[GainesT1958]

6. Suncruz folks...

Are Jack Abramoff's buddies...now that he's in jail, wouldn't you think that's ENOUGH sewage for them to dump!?:eyes:

B-)