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MSC Cruises accused of rubbish dumping
MSC Cruises has come under scrutiny after undercover videos showing what appears to be a worker dumping rubbish into the sea went ‘viral’.
The ship reported to be MSC Magnifica, was sailing off the coast of Brazil at the time, with the bags thrown through a porthole, according to Jim Walker, a Miami-based maritime lawyer.
On his Cruise Law News’ site, he said that a former employee of Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) had leaked the videos to him.
He said the bags were likely filled with plastics, oily discharge and other materials that cruise ships are prohibited from discarding into the water under the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL).
The MARPOL Convention was adopted in November 1973 by the international Maritime Organization (IMO) but the IMO does not have the power to punish companies which violate the laws.
Over the weekend, the story has spread across the world through publications and social media.
MSC Cruises said in a statement: "MSC Cruises reports that a full investigation is being conducted into the issue. New stringent procedures have been enacted on board all the fleet to further discipline crew members for breaches of the company’s stringent anti-pollution policies.
"In addition, more will be done to strengthen even further MSC Cruises’ staff training, and audit and control systems.
"MSC Cruises invests significant resources, equipment and training to develop a sustainable form of tourism and to protect the marine environment in which we operate.
"In light of the on-going investigation MSC Cruises is not in a position to divulge details of the case. MSC Cruises is fully collaborating with the Brazilian authorities in order to shed light on the responsibilities and prevent similar incidents from happening in the future."
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