Cruise Industry on Clean Cruise Ship Act!

Hi Everyone,

I received this press release from the International Council of Cruise
Lines (ICCL)and thought it would be of interest. If you have missed
any of my news' postings, they are available on my web site.

Best regards,
Ray
LIGHTHOUSE TRAVEL
800-719-9917 or 805-566-3905
http://www.lighthousetravel.com


ICCL Statement: Clean Cruise Ship Act

ARLINGTON, Va. (April 1, 2004) - The membership of the International
Council of Cruise Lines (ICCL) is committed to keeping the oceans
clean. It is in our inherent interest to protect the very lifeblood
upon which our industry is built. The legislation introduced today
targets an industry that represents two-tenths of one percent of the
world’s ships, and the environmental standards of the ICCL already
meet or exceed current international and U.S. environmental
regulations.

“This approach is especially ironic in light of the fact that the
industry has adopted practices that reduce its impact on coastal water
quality to zero,” said Michael Crye, president, ICCL. “While perhaps
well-intentioned, this legislation broadly addresses issues for which
there is no current scientific support.”

Even if the allegations made in this legislation were true, the
pollution produced would represent a fraction of one percent of the
coastal water quality issues in this country. According to the Pew
Oceans Commission Report, 80 percent of coastal water problems are
from land-based sources.

The members of the ICCL are committed to being a large part of the
overall solution to water quality and we continue to do our part
simply because protecting the oceans is the right thing to do. We will
continue our initiatives to be a part of the overall solution to clean
water through advanced practices, procedures, technology and
partnerships with responsible environmental groups.


The ICCL represents the interests of 15 passenger cruise lines that
call on major ports in the United States and abroad. ICCL member lines
include: Carnival Cruise Lines; Celebrity Cruises; Costa Cruise Line
N.V.; Crystal Cruises; Cunard Line Ltd; Disney Cruise Line; Holland
America Line; Norwegian Cruise Line; Orient Lines; Princess Cruises;
Radisson Seven Seas Cruises; Royal Caribbean International; Seabourn
Cruise Line, Silversea Cruises; and Windstar Cruises. These vessels
account for approximately 90% of the North American passenger cruise
line industry.