Royal Caribbean Fined $470,000 for Waste Violations at Galveston Cruise Port

Photo byCruise Fever

Royal Caribbean has been ordered to pay a hefty fine of over $470,000 for failing to comply with environmental regulations at the Galveston cruise terminal.

According to news reports, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found that the company had been offloading excessive amounts of waste from its cruise vessels at a Galveston port terminal between 2017 and 2024.

According to the EPA, Royal Caribbean violated the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) by inaccurately reporting the amount of waste generated and offloaded by its ships and failing to provide adequate descriptions of the waste materials.

These discrepancies were discovered during an inspection conducted by the agency.

While Royal Caribbean maintains that the alleged violations were merely documentation errors and did not result in any significant environmental impact, the EPA's final order documents indicate otherwise.

At least one of the company's vessels was found to have generated and offloaded more hazardous waste than it had reported to the EPA.

In response to the allegations, Royal Caribbean issued a statement reaffirming its commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship.

“Royal Caribbean Group has a long-standing commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship. We remain committed to maintaining environmental and waste management best-in-class practices that go above and beyond legal requirements," a spokesperson said.

The settlement reached with the EPA requires Royal Caribbean to implement improved waste handling and management programs within 180 days and to take measures to prevent future noncompliance.

This comes on the heels of a previous incident in 1999 when the company was fined $18 million for dumping waste oil and hazardous chemicals and making false statements to the U.S. Coast Guard.