To protect the ocean and our marine environment, JAXPORT and the cruise lines that service Jacksonville adhere to standards that are more stringent than environmental laws and regulations applicable to the United States and the State of Florida.
In 2000, the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association, which includes 15 major cruise lines, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection committing to a number of environmental management policy goals, including:
- complying with applicable laws and regulations,
- maintaining cooperative relationships with the regulatory community,
- managing waste streams,
- minimizing waste generated,
- maximizing reuse and recycling,
- educating and training cruise vessel personnel in waste management practices,
- embracing new technology in the management of waste streams, and
- designing cruise vessels to be environmentally friendly.
The Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association also agreed that no cruise ship would discharge waste water within Florida's waters, which extend three miles from shore. The MOU stipulated that cruise ships will not discharge gray water (waste water from sinks, showers and kitchens) in port, and only at a distance of four miles from shore. Raw sewage is treated by marine sanitation devices and then discharged at least beyond three miles from shore (but often beyond 12 miles from shore), while a ship is underway at a speed greater than six knots.
Although international law allows disposal of some items at sea, cruise ships servicing Jacksonville choose to recycle, incinerate or offload all solid waste materials from its ships for disposal on land. These include plastic, glass, rags, metal, fluorescent lamps, batteries and medical waste. Materials to be recycled are compacted, crushed or baled, and stored on board until they can be offloaded to an approved vendor for disposal.
Read more about comprehensive environmental practices aboard Carnival Cruise Lines vessels.
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