Feces on the High Seas: What Is Your Cruise Ship Dumping?

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REUTERS/Mikesa R. Ponder

As more than 3,000 passengers sat stranded on Carnival’s Splendor cruise ship, several questions came to mind. (Via Ecocentric)

For the actual cruise-goers, their concerns were tied to basic needs. Lacking food, hot water, or electricity, dinners, showers and after-dark dancing became afterthoughts. For the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the focus is linked to waste.

TIME’s Ecocentric blog dives into growing water-quality worries centered on cruise ships’ practices. Recent reports have shed light on some sketchy actions when it comes to releasing treated sewage and graywater into the oceans the vessels rely on for their trips. Cases like Splendor and its stranded Spam-eating passengers have prompted the EPA to evaluate its standards. For more, check out Krista Mahr’s full report.