The State of Alaska has imposed a US$17,653 fine on cruise operator Holland America Line (HAL) after one of its vessels illegally discharged wastewater into Alaskan marine waters on September 11, 2018.
According to a notice of violation issued in November by the state's Department of Environmental Conservation, the discharge of wastewater from the HAL cruise ship Westerdam occurred while it was navigating Glacier Bay National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Westerdam's crew had unintentionally discharged more than 85,000 litres of untreated grey water into the waters of Glacier Bay over a period of 25 minutes, the notice of violation states.
HAL said that it entered into the subsequent settlement agreement with the state in August of this year solely for the purposes of settlement and compromise and hence "does not admit to any, and hereby denies all, of the factual allegations or legal claims set forth herein."
