The senator from West Virginia penned a letter March 14 to Carnival CEO Micky Arison alleging that the U.S. Coast Guard responded to 90 “serious events” involving Carnival ships over five years, and that the Coast Guard and Navy had shelled out $4.2 million to cover the Carnival Triumph and Carnival Splendor incidents. The senator asked whether Carnival, since it pays “little or nothing in federal taxes,” will reimburse the Coast Guard and Navy.
Without giving a specific “yes” or “no” answer to the question, James Hunn, Carnival’s senior vice president, corporate maritime policy, wrote: “Carnival’s policy is to honor maritime tradition that holds that the duty to render assistance at sea to those in need is a universal obligation of the entire maritime community.”
For example, the Carnival Breeze diverted from its scheduled course on March 25 and helped the Coast Guard respond to two individuals requiring medical help in a small boat off the Florida coast, Hunn wrote.
Cliffs for our Gov’t:
Privatize profits and socialize losses. Bank bailouts, oil spills and cruise lines.