Thousands of Ships Use 'Cheat Devices' to Dump Toxic Wastewater Into Sea and Bypass Emissions Standards
01 October 2019
Oceans
Stock photo of cruise ship at Hardangerfjord regeion of Norway. cookelma / iStock / Getty Images Plus
You might have known that cruise ships are some of the world's worst polluters. Now, there is more disturbing news from the shipping industry thanks to a bombshell investigation that found that global shipping companies have spent billions to equip their ships with "cheat devices" that get around new emissions standards by dumping pollution into the sea rather than the air. The British newspaper The Independent revealed the fraud in an exclusive story.
According to <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/shipping-pollution-sea-open-loop-scrubber-carbon-dioxide-environment-a9123181.html?utm_source=reddit.com" target="_blank">The Independent</a> shipping companies have invested more than $12 billion on a contraption called an open-loop scrubber, which removes noxious sulfur fumes from the exhaust fumes of ships that run on heavy oil. Since the sulfur is not emitted into the air, the ships are in compliance with the <a href="http://www.imo.org/en/Pages/Default.aspx" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">International Maritime Organization</a>'s new emissions standards that are set to go into effect on Jan. 1, 2020.
<p>The cheat happens when the sulfur is rerouted from the exhaust pipes and dumped into the sea around the ship, which increases the volume of pollutants dropped into the oceans and carbon dioxide emissions. </p><p>"Imagine how far $12bn could have gone if it was applied towards developing and deploying technologies for zero-emission vessels," said Bryan Comer, a senior researcher at the <a href="https://theicct.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">International Council on Clean Transportation</a> (ICCT), a non-profit that gives scientific analysis to environmental regulators, to <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/shipping-pollution-sea-open-loop-scrubber-carbon-dioxide-environment-a9123181.html?utm_source=reddit.com" target="_blank">The Independent</a>.</p><p>Ships that have installed the open-loop scrubbers include bulk carriers, container ships and oil tankers, which have the biggest engines and are some of the ocean's worst polluters, according to <a href="https://www.ship-technology.com/news/thousands-of-ships-use-cheat-devices-to-cheat-emissions-regulations-find-the-independent/" target="_blank">Ship Technology</a>, a shipping industry trade-publication.</p><p>So far, 3,756 have had scrubbers installed, but only 23 of them, or 0.6 percent, have a closed-loop scrubber, which captures sulfur and stores it in tanks until it can be transferred to a safe disposal facility in port, according to DNV GL, the world's largest ship classification company, as <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/shipping-pollution-sea-open-loop-scrubber-carbon-dioxide-environment-a9123181.html?utm_source=reddit.com" target="_blank">The Independent</a> reported.</p><p>The <a href="https://www.egcsa.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems Association</a> estimated that 4,000 ships will be operating with scrubbers by January. </p><p>The byproduct from burning fuel is brutal. When a ship has an open-loop scrubber, it dumps nearly 45 tons of polluted washwater in to the sea for every ton of fuel it burns. The ICCT said the washwater that drops into the ocean is warm, acidic and contaminated with carcinogens and heavy metals, as <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/shipping-pollution-sea-open-loop-scrubber-carbon-dioxide-environment-a9123181.html?utm_source=reddit.com" target="_blank">The Independent</a> reported. Heavy metal pollution has been linked to damage to the central nervous system in humans and animals. Some of the other chemicals in the contaminants have been connected to skin, lung, bladder, liver and stomach cancers.</p>
<p>The ICCT has estimated that cruise ships alone that are fitted with scrubbers will burn around 4 million tons of heavy fuel oil in 2020 and they will dump 180 million tons of contaminated water overboard.</p>
<p>"About half of the world's roughly 500 cruise ships have or will soon have scrubbers installed," said Comer to <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/shipping-pollution-sea-open-loop-scrubber-carbon-dioxide-environment-a9123181.html?utm_source=reddit.com" target="_blank">The Independent</a>. "Cruise ships operate in some of the most beautiful and pristine areas on the planet, making this all the more concerning." </p>
<p>Increasing acidification is already devastating the world's coral reefs since it makes it harder for corals to build their skeletons, according to the <a href="https://www.whoi.edu/press-room/news-release/scientists-identify-how-ocean-acidification-weakens-coral-skeletons/" target="_blank">Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution</a>.</p>
<p>Comer just touched on cruise ships and also noted that scrubbers force ships to burn about two percent more fuel, increasing their CO2 emissions. </p>
<p>The cumulative total from shipping as well will dramatically increase water pollution and will have a devastating impact on marine wildlife and water quality around ports. </p>
<p>"In the North Sea and some parts of the [English] Channel, the water quality has already been heavily degraded," said Lucy Gilliam, a campaigner for Transport and Environment, a Brussels-based NGO, to <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/shipping-pollution-sea-open-loop-scrubber-carbon-dioxide-environment-a9123181.html?utm_source=reddit.com" target="_blank">The Independent</a>. "Wildlife in these areas is likely to be far more vulnerable to the effects of having ships discharging huge volumes of acidic, polluted, warm water from scrubbers."</p>
<p>In response to <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/shipping-pollution-sea-open-loop-scrubber-carbon-dioxide-environment-a9123181.html?utm_source=reddit.com" target="_blank">The Independent</a>, the IMO said it had already "adopted strict criteria for discharge of washwater from exhaust gas cleaning systems." It added that it is "undertaking a review of the 2015 guidelines on exhaust gas cleaning systems. The guidelines include, among other things, washwater discharge standards."</p>
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The Freewinds, a Scientology-owned cruise ship currently quarantined over a measles scare, in Aruba in 2014. Roger Wollstadt / CC BY-SA 2.0
A cruise ship reportedly owned by the Church of Scientology has been quarantined in the port of St. Lucia after a case of measles was confirmed on board, health officials said Wednesday. There are almost 300 passengers and crew on the ship, which has the same name as a ship owned by the church, NBC News reported.
<p>The ship has been quarantined in the port of the Caribbean island nation since Monday, the same day that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/measles-cases-us-2019-2635908029.html?rebelltitem=1#rebelltitem1" target="_self">announced</a> that there have been more than 700 measles cases in the U.S. in 2019, the highest number in 25 years. </p>
<p>The ship's doctor confirmed that one female crew member has a case of measles, and public health officials are concerned she could have spread it to other people on board who may not be vaccinated.</p>
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="fad37ade4dc893b594f41bfb1cdb7f74"><iframe lazy-loadable="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ua2NFBEUVvk?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span><p>"Because of the risk of potential infection, not just from the confirmed measles case but from other persons who may be on the boat at the time, we thought it prudent to make a decision not to allow anyone to disembark," St. Lucia Chief Medical Officer Dr. Merlene Fredericks-James said in a statement <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/02/world/americas/measles-scientology-cruise-ship.html?smtyp=cur&smid=tw-nytimes" target="_blank">reported by The New York Times</a>. St. Lucia cannot stop the boat from departing, which it is scheduled to do on Thursday, NBC reported.<br></p><p>Health officials did not give the name of the vessel, but St. Lucia Coast Guard Sargent Victor Theodore said it was called "Freewinds." The Church of Scientology owns and operates a 440-foot cruise ship by that name, and Theodore identified the quarantined ship as the one pictured on the church's website. The Church of Scientology did not respond to requests for comment from NBC, CNN or The New York Times.</p><p>While some high-profile Scientologists have spoken out against vaccines, the church itself has no official stance on vaccination, The New York Times reported.</p><p>"Scientologists are pretty independent people, though I will say this: they tend to do a little more research, perhaps, on the effect of various medical procedures or whatever," President of the church in New York John Carmichael <a href="https://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/Scientology/Scientology-Silent-Birth-Its-A-Natural-Thing.aspx?p=4" target="_blank">told Beliefnet in 2006</a>. "They make their own decisions, but those aren't decisions that the church tries to influence in any way."</p><p>St. Lucia has authority to quarantine the vessel under the island nation's quarantine and public health acts, <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2019/05/02/health/st-lucia-measles-cruise-ship-quarantine/index.html" target="_blank">CNN reported</a>. Quarantine is also a legal option in every U.S. state.</p><p>"Quarantine is a word that people respond to very strongly, but it's actually one of the strongest tools in the public health tool kit," Director of the Center for Global Health Science and Security at Georgetown University Rebecca Katz told CNN. "But because it curtails civil liberties, most public health officials are very wary to utilize it."</p>
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A pod of narwhals (Monodon monoceros) in central Baffin Bay. Narwhals are the most vulnerable animals to increased ship traffic in the Arctic Ocean. Kristin Laidre / University of Washington, CC BY-ND
By Donna Hauser, Harry Stern and Kristin Laidre
Americans often associate fall with football and raking leaves, but in the Arctic this season is about ice. Every year, floating sea ice in the Arctic thins and melts in spring and summer, then thickens and expands in fall and winter.
As climate change warms the Arctic, its sea ice cover is declining. This year scientists estimate that the Arctic sea ice minimum in late September covered 1.77 million square miles, tying the sixth lowest summertime minimum on record.
<p>
With less sea ice, there is burgeoning interest in shipping and other commercial activity throughout the Northwest Passage—the fabled route that links the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, via Canada's convoluted Arctic archipelago—as well as the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Sea_Route" target="_blank">Northern Sea Route</a>, which cuts across Russia's northern seas. This trend has serious potential impacts for Arctic sea life.
</p><p>
In a recent <a href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1803543115" target="_blank">study</a>, we assessed the vulnerability of 80 populations of Arctic marine mammals during the "open-water" period of September, when sea ice is at its minimum extent. We wanted to understand the relative risks of vessel traffic across Arctic marine mammal species, populations and regions. We found that more than half (53 percent) of these populations—including walruses and several types of <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/whales">whales</a>—would be exposed to vessels in Arctic sea routes. This could lead to collisions, noise disturbance or changes in the animals' behavior.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xODgxNzUyMC9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxNjA2NTM1Mn0.hjbEPoIgMGmnoNwDLT4weWIgm--mffqi3iM4xzCW6Yg/img.png?width=980" id="68750" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="86dacbcfb226892a2a4577c03444d7a9" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Map of the Arctic region showing the the Northern Sea Route and Northwest Passage</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">Arctic Council / Susie Harder</small></p><p>
<strong>Less Ice, More Ships<br>
</strong></p><p>
More than a century ago, Norwegian explorer <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roald_Amundsen" target="_blank">Roald Amundsen</a> became the first European to navigate the entire Northwest Passage. Due to the <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/SeaIce" target="_blank">short Arctic summer</a>, it took Amundsen's 70-foot wooden sailing ship <a href="https://www.canadiangeographic.ca/article/lessons-northwest-passage-roald-amundsens-experiences-canadian-arctic" target="_blank">three years to make the journey</a>, wintering in protected harbors.
</p><p>
Fast-forward to summer 2016, when a cruise ship carrying more than 1,000 passengers <a href="https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160916005705/en/Mission-Accomplished-Crystal-Serenity-Completes-32-Day-Northwest" target="_blank">negotiated the Northwest Passage in 32 days</a>. The summer "open-water" period in the Arctic has now increased by <a href="http://www.washington.edu/news/2015/03/17/first-global-review-on-the-status-future-of-arctic-marine-mammals/" target="_blank">more than two months</a> in some regions. Summer sea ice cover has shrunk by <a href="https://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/arctic-sea-ice/" target="_blank">over 30 percent</a> since satellites started regular monitoring in 1979.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
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<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) in Disko Bay, West Greenland </small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit..."><a href="https://flic.kr/p/K6MNnH" target="_blank">Kristin Laidre</a>, CC BY 2.0</small></p><p>
Arctic seas are home to a specialized group of <a href="https://www.arcticbiodiversity.is/findings/marine-mammals" target="_blank">marine mammals</a> found nowhere else on Earth, including beluga and bowhead whales, narwhals, walruses, ringed and bearded seals and polar bears. These species are <a href="https://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/6042/20140214/arctic-marine-mammals-act-ecosystem-sentinels-amid-changing-climate.htm" target="_blank">critical members</a> of Arctic marine ecosystems, and provide <a href="https://www.newsdeeply.com/arctic/articles/2016/08/31/subsistence-hunting-in-alaska-in-an-age-of-climate-change" target="_blank">traditional resources</a> to Indigenous communities across the Arctic.<br>
</p><p>
According to ecologists, all of these animals are <a href="https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/19395582/2008/18/sp2" target="_blank">susceptible to sea ice loss</a>. Research at lower latitudes has also shown that marine mammals can be <a href="https://dosits.org/animals/effects-of-sound/potential-effects-of-sound-on-marine-mammals/" target="_blank">affected by noise from vessels</a> because of their reliance on sound, as well as by <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/insight/understanding-vessel-strikes" target="_blank">ship strikes</a>. These findings raise concerns about increasing vessel traffic in the Arctic.
</p><p>
<strong>Sensitivity Times Exposure Equals Vulnerability</strong>
</p><p>
To determine which species could be at risk, we estimated two key factors: Exposure—how much a population's distribution overlaps with the Northwest Passage or Northern Sea Route during September—and sensitivity, a combination of biological, ecological and vessel factors that may put a population at a higher risk.
</p><p>
As an illustration, imagine calculating vulnerability to air pollution. People generally are more exposed to air pollution in cities than in rural areas. Some groups, such as children and the elderly, are also more sensitive because their lungs are not as strong as those of average adults.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xODgxNzUyMy9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyOTQ2MDY3M30.vk8gmJDPRix7AULwko57efFJmjqFAmmmOlVTPAi3ak8/img.jpg?width=980" id="e0214" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="6c6320cf097c4ed22c17f2dd4cfc4f74" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Ringed seal (Pusa hispida) pup in Alaska </small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit..."><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pusa_hispida_pup.jpg" target="_blank">NOAA</a></small></p><p>
We found that many whale and walrus populations were both highly exposed and sensitive to vessels during the open-water period. Narwhals—medium-sized toothed whales with a large spiral tusk—scored as most vulnerable overall. These animals are endemic to the Arctic, and spend much of their time in winter and spring in areas with heavy concentrations of sea ice. In our study, they ranked as both highly exposed and highly sensitive to vessel effects in September.<br>
</p><p>
Narwhals have a relatively restricted range. Each summer they migrate to the same areas in the Canadian high Arctic and around <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/greenland">Greenland</a>. In fall they migrate south in pods to offshore areas in Baffin Bay and Davis Strait, where they spend the winter making deep dives under the dense ice to feed on Greenland halibut. Many narwhal populations' core summer and fall habitat is right in the middle of the Northwest Passage.
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<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">A pod of narwhals (Monodon monoceros) in central Baffin Bay. Narwhals are the most vulnerable animals to increased ship traffic in the Arctic during September. </small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit..."><a href="https://www.photolib.noaa.gov/bigs/anim1112.jpg" target="_blank">NOAA / OAR / OER / Kristin Laidre</a></small></p><p>
<strong>Vulnerable Arctic Regions, Species and Key Uncertainties<br>
</strong>
</p><p>
The western end of the Northwest Passage and the eastern end of the Northern Sea Route converge at the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bering_Strait" target="_blank">Bering Strait</a>, a 50-mile-wide waterway separating Russia and <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/alaska">Alaska</a>. This area is also a key migratory corridor for thousands of beluga and bowhead whales, Pacific walruses and ringed and bearded seals. In this geographic bottleneck and other narrow channels, marine mammals are particularly vulnerable to vessel traffic.
</p><p>
Among the species we assessed, polar bears were least vulnerable to September vessel traffic because they generally spend the ice-free season on land. Of course, longer ice-free seasons are also <a href="https://theconversation.com/as-arctic-sea-ice-shrinks-new-research-shows-how-much-energy-polar-bears-use-to-find-food-91125" target="_blank">bad for polar bears</a>, which need sea ice as a platform for hunting seals. They may also be vulnerable to oil spills year-round.
</p><p>
Research in the harsh and remote Arctic seas is <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.aau4941" target="_blank">notoriously difficult</a>, and there are many gaps in our knowledge. Certain areas, such as the Russian Arctic, are less studied. <a href="http://www.washington.edu/news/2015/03/17/first-global-review-on-the-status-future-of-arctic-marine-mammals/" target="_blank">Data are sparse</a> on many marine mammals, especially ringed and bearded seals. These factors increased the uncertainty in our vessel vulnerability scores.
</p><p>
We concentrated on late summer, when vessel traffic is expected to be greatest due to reduced ice cover. However, ice-strengthened vessels can also operate during spring, with potential impacts on seals and polar bears that are less vulnerable in September. The window of opportunity for navigation is growing as sea ice break-up happens earlier in the year and freeze-up occurs later. These changes also shift the times and places where marine mammals could be exposed to vessels.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube">
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="749ea4f4b4cfcf5552a9f9ccb2375557"><iframe type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MicU8h4-kNw?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Arctic Sea Ice 1984 - 2016 (4K)</small>
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">
<a href="https://youtu.be/MicU8h4-kNw" target="_blank">youtu.be</a>
</small>
</p><p>
<strong>Planning for a Navigable Arctic<br>
</strong>
</p><p>
Recent initiatives in the lower 48 states offer some models for anticipating and managing vessel-marine mammal interactions. One recent study showed that modeling could be used to <a href="https://www.hakaimagazine.com/news/protecting-blue-whales-predicting-where-theyll-be/" target="_blank">predict blue whale locations off the California coast</a> to help ships avoid key habitats. And since 2008, federal regulations have imposed <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/endangered-species-conservation/reducing-ship-strikes-north-atlantic-right-whales" target="_blank">seasonal and speed restrictions</a> on ships in the North Atlantic to minimize threats to critically endangered right whales. These practical examples, along with our vulnerability ranking, could provide a foundation for similar steps to protect <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/marine-life">marine mammals</a> in the Arctic.
</p><p>
The International Maritime Organization has already adopted a <a href="http://www.imo.org/en/mediacentre/hottopics/polar/pages/default.aspx" target="_blank">Polar Code</a>, which was developed to promote safe ship travel in polar waters. It recommends identifying areas of ecological importance, but does not currently include direct strategies to designate important habitats or reduce vessel effects on marine mammals, although the organization has taken steps to <a href="http://www.rcinet.ca/eye-on-the-arctic/2018/05/25/america-russia-alaska-bering-strait-shipping-ocean/" target="_blank">protect marine habitat in the Bering Sea</a>.
</p><p>
Even if nations take rigorous action to mitigate climate change, models predict that September Arctic sea ice <a href="http://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar5/wg1/WG1AR5_SPM_FINAL.pdf" target="_blank">will continue to decrease over the next 30 years</a>. There is an opportunity now to plan for an increasingly accessible and rapidly changing Arctic, and to minimize risks to creatures that are found nowhere else on Earth.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
<iframe width="100%" height="150" scrolling="no" class="rm-shortcode twitter-embed-901156362419400709" id="twitter-embed-901156362419400709" type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="/res/community/twitter_embed/?iframe_id=twitter-embed-901156362419400709&created_ts=1503687394.0&screen_name=EcoWatch&text=Tanker+Crosses+%23Arctic+Without+Icebreaker+for+First+Time+Due+to+Rapid+Melting+of+Sea+Ice+https%3A%2F%2Ft.co%2F8eSp2lTAbf+%40SierraClub+%40ClimateReality&id=901156362419400709&name=EcoWatch" frameborder="0" data-rm-shortcode-id="5Y0D531576662089"></iframe>
</p><p><em>Donna Hauser is a research assistant professor at the International Arctic Research Center, University of Alaska Fairbanks.</em><br></p><p>
<em><span style="background-color: initial;">Harry Stern is the p</span>rincipal mathematician at the Polar Science Center, University of Washington.
</em></p><p>
<em>Kristin Laidre is an associate professor of aquatic and fishery sciences, University of Washington.
</em></p><p>
<em>Disclosure statements: Donna Hauser receives funding from the North Pacific Research Board, Alaska Arctic Observatory & Knowledge Hub, Moore Foundation and Collaborative Alaska Arctic Studies Program. Harry Stern receives funding from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Kristin Laidre receives funding from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Department of Defense, the Pew Foundation and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
</em></p><p>
<em>Reposted with permission from our media associate <a href="https://theconversation.com/as-arctic-ship-traffic-increases-narwhals-and-other-unique-animals-are-at-risk-99733" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>.</em>
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Polar Bear Shot Dead After Attacking Cruise Ship Guard, Raising Questions of Arctic Tourism
30 July 2018
Animals
Norwegian authorities said the polar bear attacked and injured a crew member of the 'MS Bremen' cruise ship who was leading tourists off the vessel on an Arctic archipelago between mainland Norway and the North Pole. The polar bear was shot dead by another employee, the cruise company said. GUSTAV BUSCH ARNTSEN / AFP / Getty Images
A German cruise operator is under fire after one its employees shot a wild polar bear dead on Norway's Svalbard archipelago after the animal injured a cruise ship guard.
The incident occurred Saturday after the tour ship MS Brennan docked on the island, Norwegian authorities confirmed.
<p>
In a
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/HLCruisesInt/posts/1624493584327985" target="_blank">statement</a>, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises said the guard, whose job is to scope the area of bears to protect the ship's tourists, went onshore the island before the passengers when we was "unexpectedly attacked" by the animal.
</p><p>
Attempts from other guards to "evict the animal" were unsuccessful, the company said. The bear was ultimately shot and killed "for reasons of self-defense and to protect the life of the attacked person."
</p><p>
<span></span>The guard suffered head injuries from the attack but they were not life-threatening. He was airlifted out of the area and his condition remains stable. <span></span>
</p><p>
"We very much regret this incident," the company said. "Hapag-Lloyd Cruises is very aware of its responsibility when traveling in environmentally-sensitive areas and respects all nature and wildlife."
<span></span>
</p><p>
Svalbard, which lies halfway between Norway and the North Pole, is known for its population of polar bears. The cruise operator
<a href="https://www.hl-cruises.com/cruisefinder/BRE1816#overview" target="_blank">touts</a> that its expedition onboard the MS Brennan brings tourists to an area where "polar bears rule the wilderness."
</p><p>
The Saturday incident has sparked international outrage, with some saying that tourists should not encroach a polar bear's natural habitat.
</p><p>
Comedian and animal activist Ricky Gervais, tweeted: "'Let's get too close to a polar bear in its natural environment and then kill it if it gets too close.' Morons."
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
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</p><p>
Others noted that such confrontations are bound to happen again as Arctic tourism increases. Citing the Longyearbyen port schedule, the
<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2018/07/28/world/europe/ap-eu-norway-polar-bear-attack.html" target="_blank">Associated Press</a> reported that 18 cruise ships will dock at the Arctic port in the next week.
</p><p>
Polar bears were declared a threatened species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act in 2008 due to their sea ice habitat melting from climate change.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
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</p>
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