THE EDITOR, Sir:
AT APPROXIMATELY 7 a.m., as I sat looking out from my apartment at the cruise ship Carnival Victory, docked at the pier in Ocho Rios, I wondered about the environmental impact the black smoke issuing from the ship's smoke stack was having on this community.
The Carnival Victory is not the only cruise ship that is guilty of expelling this black, acrid smoke while in our port. Other ships have been doing likewise on almost a daily basis.
Are these ships permitted to release such effluent while in our port to contaminate the air and water, deposit its black residue on trees and shrubbery, blacken the buildings nearby and create an unsightly cloud in the area? Who or what agency, if any, is responsible for monitoring such and, possibly, other deleterious practices of the cruise lines? It also gives rise to another question as to what other wastes are they releasing in our environment?
If they are not allowed to discharge pollutants in our ports and harbours, then the practice(s) should cease immediately.
Furthermore, with the advanced level of technology today, I am sure there are ways available for the cruise lines to clean up their act.
I am, etc.
CLINTON A. LEWIS
Turtle Beach Towers
Ocho Rios
