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ROYAL CARIBBEAN LINES TO PAY $9 MILLION IN FINES
Release Date: 06/05/98
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FOR RELEASE: FRIDAY, JUNE 5, 1998
ROYAL CARIBBEAN LINES TO PAY $9 MILLION IN FINES
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., (RCCL) agreed on June 2, to pay a $1 million fine in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida in Miami and further agreed on June 3, to pay another $8 million in fines in U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico in San Juan. In its plea agreements, the defendant admitted to a pattern of using bypass pipes to discharge oily bilge water from its ships directly into the sea. The bypasses were constructed around on-board oil-water separators which are designed to remove the oil before the water is discharged. RCCL also admitted to obstructing justice by attempting to hide evidence of the crimes by falsifying oil record books, ordering an employee to provide a false statement and attempting to dispose of an illegal bypass pipe. The discharge of oil into ocean waters can cause significant harm to fish and other aquatic life. The case was investigated by EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division, the U.S. Coast Guard and the FBI.
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