Australian cruise ship dumps food waste onto the Great Barrier Reef
- 5 years ago
GREAT BARRIER REEF, AUSTRALIA — The Australian Maritime Safety Authority has found that a cruise ship dumped 27,000 liters of food waste and gray water into the Great Barrier Reef in August.
The cruise spilled the polluted water into the reef on August 26, but authorities weren't notified until two days later when the cruise reported the incident themselves.
The cruise was detained by Australian authorities once it returned to Sydney.
The ship had to pay a fine of US$1.5 million, CNN reported.
The cruise says the spill was unintentional and claim they only dumped 7,000 liters instead of the 27,000 liters.
However an Australian Senator cited an Australian Maritime Safety Authority report that says otherwise.
Discharging waste into the Barrier Reef is a serious offense as the coral reefs in the region are already being damaged due to climate change and environmental damage.
The cruise spilled the polluted water into the reef on August 26, but authorities weren't notified until two days later when the cruise reported the incident themselves.
The cruise was detained by Australian authorities once it returned to Sydney.
The ship had to pay a fine of US$1.5 million, CNN reported.
The cruise says the spill was unintentional and claim they only dumped 7,000 liters instead of the 27,000 liters.
However an Australian Senator cited an Australian Maritime Safety Authority report that says otherwise.
Discharging waste into the Barrier Reef is a serious offense as the coral reefs in the region are already being damaged due to climate change and environmental damage.