Posted Jun 23, 2023 1:04pm ET
A woman takes pictures of the ocean near a beach no-go sign in Seal Beach, Calif. Monday, Jan. 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
OTTAWA — Canada on Friday banned cruise ships from dumping sewage and dirty water near shore and said it would fine violating ships up to CA$250,000 ($190,000).
A series of anti-pollution measures introduced on a voluntary basis in April 2022 will become mandatory with immediate effect, Transport Minister Omar Alghabra said in a statement.
Environmental groups denounced what they saw as lax Canadian regulations in 2021, saying cruise ships sailing to and from Alaska alone dumped 31 billion liters (8.2 billion US gallons) of undertreated pollution into Canada’s Pacific waters in 2019 .
“Cruise ships are an important part of our economy and tourism sector, but they need to be run more sustainably,” Alghabra said. Cruise lines add more than CA$4 billion to the economy annually, he added.
The new rules ban the discharge of sewage and so-called gray water – the runoff from sinks, washing machines, bathtubs and showers – within three nautical miles of the Canadian coast.
In addition, ships in non-Arctic waters must increase treatment of sewage and gray water discharged between three and 12 nautical miles from shore. Pollution of Arctic waters from cruise ships is already regulated by separate regulations.
“As with the regulations, if the inspection finds a vessel not in compliance, enforcement action will be taken, including the imposition of fines up to a maximum of CA$250,000,” Alghabra said.