Maasdam dumping effluent at sea?

[CruiserBruce]

If it had come from the Maasdam while she is in Europe, wouldn't the currents have taken the waste over to the European mainland? The Gulf Stream heads that way, not back to the US.

 

I am not saying it came from Maasdam while in Europe. I am saying it come have been released from Maasdam 100 miles off the coast on the day after she sailed from Boston, and it has taken this long to come ashore.

 

The sea works in mysterious ways, and isn't always very predictable.

 

Again, I hope it isn't true, but the investigation (and the USCG is VERY good at forensic investigations) will find the story.

[CruiserBruce]

Sorry, the photo in the article looks like a cooler and contents from a private (small) boat, a day sailer, or the like. (Click thumbnail.)

 

A battery powered smoke alarm, plastic bottles and a paper plate? In a ships effluent tank?? Seriously? No photo evidence of effluent that I can see.

 

A luggage tag could come from anywhere and may have washed up separately but I see no connection.

 

 

Where did this pic come from? The problem I have with this pic, beyond no apparent connection to Massdam, is that the debris doesn't appear at all macerated (as described in the earlier post)- which means shreded.

 

Could this just be a sample of debris found on the beach that day, or by the reporter on another day, but has absolutely nothing to do with the debris allegedly from Massdam?

[CruiserBruce]

OK, I went back and read the article and looked at the pic. The pic says it is a sample of the debris found on the beach, of which NONE might be from Massdam, particularly as none of it is macerated.

 

Yes, it mentions a macerated "room tag" and effluent. Hmmm.... could someone's bag tag somehow got overboard, like off a balcony? Not sure how "effluent", which come be some sludge like material, could be identified as from Maasdam.

[Boytjie]

A contraceptive? On a HAL ship? Someone doesn't know the HAL demographic. We're all too old to need that. ;)

 

Not on our charters :)

[sail7seas]

It's impossible to say where the bag tag may have come from.

 

It could have been in a resident's trash barrel that blew over in the wind.

Nahant is a penninsula connected to coast by a causeway to the City of Lynn, MA.

It is windy!!!

 

The tag could have blown off luggage as stevedores loaded it at Black Falcon.

It could have been tossed overboard/blown overboard in some way connected with a guest.

I have watched our three local news channels and nothing I have heard in any of their reports convinces me in any way Maasdam can be connected to this.

 

USCG will undoubtedly investigate and we'll await their conclusions.

[maxout]

It's impossible to say where the bag tag may have come from.

 

<SNIP>

 

USCG will undoubtedly investigate and we'll await their conclusions.

 

Indeed.

[PeaceLoveCruise]

Local news is all over this story. Boston Channel 5 WCVB had a report. all kids of junk. I saw a flip flop' date=' cans ,bottles, plastic;s rope plus toliet waste. They also for a tag with Massadam room number, and ships name among the junk[/quote']

 

No WONDER the toilets don't always work! :D

 

 

PeaceLoveCruise

[Salacia]

There was severe weather in that area a few weeks ago, including flash floods [source http://southend.patch.com/articles/thunderstorms-bring-flash-flood-warning-flooded-roadways-7b4f2fb4

Could refuse have been found on the beach as a result of flooding?

 

There are parties on that beach, as there are on other beaches. Not everyone cleans up after. Could some of the offending objects shown in the photo have been left by party goers?

 

My understanding is that cruise ships have more safeguards, regulations and monitoring than many other sources of ocean pollution.

 

If a beachcomber raked up all the objects on shore (any shore), and took a photo, no doubt it would be an interesting composite, much like the photos shown in the news article. But to attribute such objects to a particular cruise ship dumping waste lacks veracity without sufficient proof.

[Sunshine91]

Forget that it's Maasdam & think about this:

 

If the debris WAS from any one particular ship, wouldn't there be more identifying ephemera FROM that particular ship than a single room or luggage tag?

 

I mean, how many POUNDS of trash are in that pile, and the ONLY thing that can be traced to a single ship, regardless which one it is, is a tiny scrap of paper? :rolleyes:

 

Nahant is a tiny little cove. If a ship dumped this, why hasn't more of this "mascerated" sewage shown up on other MA beaches? :confused:

 

My guess - it really isn't what someone thinks he saw. Sea water can get foamy, and brown is not unusual. I've seen it in shallow water with a muddy bottom. Perhaps a septic tank or truck or port-a-pottie wound up someplace it shouldn't have. There are so many other possibilities.

[jakkojakko]

It is hittting the news sites:

 

http://www.itemlive.com/articles/2012/08/08/news/news01.txt?loc=interstitialskip

 

http://www.cruiselawnews.com/2012/08/articles/pollution-1/cruise-ship-dumping-of-trash-feces-conflicts-with-industrys-image-as-steward-of-the-seas/

 

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/08/10/travel/massachusetts-mystery-sewage/index.html

[CtheW0rld]

i still don't see any photos of the room tag. until i do, i will give hal the benefit of the doubt (and that is saying a lot since the regular posters know i am not a hal cheerleader).

[hypercafe]

Those three articles really put HAL in a bad light, especially CNN which shows HAL has a record of doing these things.

[CtheW0rld]

Those three articles really put HAL in a bad light, especially CNN which shows HAL has a record of doing these things.

 

indeed, but the last reported violation was 10 years ago. maybe hal just hasn't gotten caught OR maybe hal has changed their ways. time will tell.

[Randyk47]

Certainly it would be bad, maybe even horrible, if any cruise line much lass HAL was quilty of deliberately not properly handling waste of any kind. Personally I don't put much store in a bag tag from any ship being proof of much of anything. Have any of you ever watched bags being loaded at a port? Last time we were in Fort Lauderdale our verandah overlooked the terminal and I noticed the dock was littered with tags. A good breeze and many of them could have been in the water. Better yet was four or five years ago I saw the remains of an Oosterdam tag in a local mall parking lot and we're a couple hundred miles from the ocean so obviously it didn't wash up there. Let's just let the authorities do their job.

[sail7seas]

In the photo of the debris that appeared, I saw no bag tag but did see paper plates. HAL/Maasdam does not use paper plates. I have never seen a paper plate in Lido on Maasdam.

 

One article, three articles...... the number of articles written mean nothing. One source writes or airs a piece and other sources pick it up.

 

What is more fun for press than knocking cruise ships? Cruise ships seem to be one of their favorite targets and three cases of Noro sends them into orbit. This is no different. One source quotes the other source and that is supposed to legitimatize the story? If the original story is hogwash, all others that follow without more reliable reporting are of equally low credibility.

 

The original story had no credibility for me. Too many holes I saw in it with even a casual reading.

When press does not seek a comment from the other side, that is poor reporting.

When press speculates without evidence, that is poor reporting.

When press does not mention pertinent and important fact such as Maasdam has not been in Boston for a month, that is poor reporting.

 

IMO.......

[bishop84]

I don't believe that a HAL ship would have deliberately dumped garbage and sewage near the coast nowadays. I went to a lecture by the Environmental Officer on my last cruise and he explained the systems HAL have in place to prevent pollution.

 

I remember a case, possibly in the 80's, where Cunard were blamed for some QE2 related garbage washing up near New York City. It was later found, not sure how, that the garbage had actually been blown overboard from a barge that was taking NYC garbage including some landed in NYC from the QE2, to a landfill. Not sure if they use barges in Boston area but this could be one of several reasons why a HAL luggage tag ended up on the beach when the ship was nowhere near.

[hypercafe]

The CNN article is very factual, does state HAL side as the talked to HAL who said they were investigating and does state the ship is in Europ now and when it left. Did you read it? It's hard to say what really happened, after all, ship happens!

[iancal]

Why speculate one way or the other when most people possess neither the facts nor the expertise to even make a guess.

 

I would not put much weight on the media reports until all of the facts become known-and it could take some time.

 

Anything is possible.

[Watson's aunt]

Hi

 

I think the photo that is shown is just junk on the shore. The items that they think is from the ship was picked up and is being examied. The reporters should have just reported those photo's and film is not from that incident.

 

 

Mary

[shantihhh]

Just read this concerning article:

 

http://travel.usatoday.com/cruises/post/2012/08/massachusetts-beach-sewage-cruise-ship/820896/1?csp=Travel

 

:confused:

 

This is surprising as HAL ranks so high on environmental issues

[Lady Chew]

Hi

 

I think the photo that is shown is just junk on the shore. The items that they think is from the ship was picked up and is being examied. The reporters should have just reported those photo's and film is not from that incident.

 

 

Mary

 

Well' date=' they (the press) do that all the time - use photos from other sources to illustrate a story. Sometimes they acknowledge it, sometimes they don't. "Oh, they found some trash from Maasdam, we need a picture of some floating trash" ... [/b']

[djg541]

I saw thus story locally on Boston TV. I doubt very strongly it was from the ship given their enviormental record of cleanliness.

One ( discarded after a cruise?) room card doesn't prove it was from the ship,plus the other debris doesn't seem to reflect a ships normal debris.

Someone ignorant tossed the stuff for sure. Who? We'll probably never know.

[shantihhh]

I really question this story as HAL is so proud of their ecofriendly status.

 

I'm sure there is some way to trace this stuff (aside from a luggage tag).

 

I will be really shocked and disappointed if one of the most environmentally awarded and responsible ships is responsible for this.

 

I'll keep an open mind but right now - I have some doubts :rolleyes:

[sail7seas]

The CNN article is very factual, does state HAL side as the talked to HAL who said they were investigating and does state the ship is in Europ now and when it left. Did you read it? It's hard to say what really happened, after all, ship happens!

 

 

I reference the first article that appeared in The Item that started the whole snowball rolling.

Did you read that article? You will see what I mean.

[jtl513]

Just read this concerning article:

 

http://travel.usatoday.com/cruises/post/2012/08/massachusetts-beach-sewage-cruise-ship/820896/1?csp=Travel

 

:confused:

 

This is surprising as HAL ranks so high on environmental issues

There's already a long thread going on this:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1685570