Royal Caribbean Wins NAMEPA’s Marine Environment Protection Award

Award dinner on November 9th follows seminar on Corporate Risk Management.

Clay Maitland, Founding Chairman of the North American Marine Environment Protection Association (NAMEPA), announced that the world’s second largest cruise company, Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd., is the recipient of NAMEPA’s 2011 Marine Environment Protection Award.  The award will be presented at NAMEPA’s Awards Dinner to be held at Chelsea Piers’ The Lighthouse in New York following NAMEPA’s seminar on Corporate Risk Management, which will focus on the need of the maritime industry to evaluate risk in a challenging operating environment.

“We are delighted that the North American Marine Environment Protection Association has awarded Royal Caribbean with the 2011 Marine Environment Protection Award," said Jamie Sweeting, vice president of Environmental Stewardship, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.  "Royal Caribbean is dedicated to helping to protect the marine environment, and we are committed to caring for the unique and beautiful places we visit throughout the world.  It is an honor to be recognized by NAMEPA for our commitment to protect, conserve and support the environment.”

 The NAMEPA Marine Environment Protection Award is given in recognition of an individual or organization’s efforts on behalf of preserving the marine environment as exemplified by a commitment to a program which has specific objectives set for environmental performance and improvement, and which is innovative and goes beyond minimum environmental compliance.  Eligible candidates include members of the commercial maritime industry, government agencies, and individuals and submissions are judged by the organization’s Board of Directors against the criteria behind the award.

Comments from the judges included “RCL's efforts to educate their passengers through their comprehensive program "Save the Waves" program deserves special attention”,  “Save the Waves program is changing "Hearts and Minds"...and preserving the marine environment for future generations to enjoy”; “RCL's robust fuel consumption reduction and waste recycling programs have yield excellent results in reduced in GHG and shoreside disposal”; “RCL’s commitment and efforts in protecting the environment clearly follow the ABCs...Above Basic Compliance.”