Skolnik

Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd. agreed to pay an $18-million criminal fine for routinely dumping waste oil from its fleet of cruise ships in US harbors and coastal areas including the Inside Passage of Alaska. In addition to waste oil, toxic materials were also dumped including hazardous chemicals from photo processing equipment, dry cleaning shops and printing presses. The fine is the largest ever paid by a cruise line for polluting US waters. Unresolved are additional fines of $9-million for illegal storage of hazardous waste and toxic chemicals at the Port of Miami. Total fines to the cruise line could reach $27-million.