Reference no: EM133161162

The problem of pollution is not restricted to ships that carry merchandise; there is also a problem with ships that carry people. More than eight million passengers take an ocean voyage each year, cruising many areas of the world's oceans in search of pristine beaches and clear tropical waters. The tourists and the giant ships that carry them are usually welcomed for the revenues that they bring, but these ships also bring pollution.

A modem cruise ship generates a lot of waste-on a typical day, a ship will produce seven tons of solid garbage, 30 000 gallons of sewage, 7000 gallons of bilge water containing oil, and 225 000 gallons of "grey" water from sinks and laundries. Multiply these numbers by more than 167 ships worldwide, cruising 50 weeks per year, and the scope of the environmental damage is staggering.

Environmental groups see the top pollution-related problem as the death of marine life, including extinction. Foreign animals bring parasites and diseases, and in some cases, replace native species entirely. Bacteria that are harmless to human beings can kill corals that provide food and habitat for many species. Oil and toxic chemicals are deadly to wildlife even in minute quantities. Turtles swallow plastic bags, thinking they are jellyfish, and starve, while seals and birds drown after becoming entangled in the plastic rings that hold beverage cans.

Here again, lack of regulation is the biggest obstacle to solving the problem. Each country's laws and enforcement policies vary considerably, and even when laws are strict, enforcement may be limited. Cruise lines should be very concerned about clean seas for their own economic well-being, but this is often not the case. Intentional illegal dumping may actually be growing in scope. Over the last decade, for instance, as enforcement has tightened, 10 cruise lines have collectively paid US$48.5 million in fines related to illegal dumping. In the largest settlement to date, Royal Caribbean paid US$27 million for making illegal alterations to facilities, falsifying records, lying to the U.S. Coast Guard, and deliberately destroying evidence.

Critics are speaking out against the cruise lines' profiteering from an environment that they are destroying, but they note that the companies won't stop as long as the profits continue. Technology exists to make the waste safe, but Industry experts estimate that dumping can save firm millions of dollars annually. From that perspective. The cruise lines are making understandable decisions.

Questions for Discussion

1. What are the major legal issues in this case? What are the major ethical Issues?

2. Aside from personal greed, what factors might lead a cruise line to illegally dump waste into the ocean? What factors might cause cargo ships to use low grade fuel?

3. Are the approaches to social responsibility by the cargo and cruise lines similar or different? Explain.

4. Distinguish between ethical issues and social responsibility issues as they apply to this problem.