Cruise Ship Lawyers Blog
When cruise ships sail into Key West, the looming vessels evoke thoughts about the tourist economy.
What people don’t think about is how much damage these ships can cause to local marine life as they navigate through the port.
The College of the Florida Keys recently revealed in a year’s long study that the turbidity measures of ships – the level of suspended particles, such as sediment and organic matter, stirred up by the ship as it moves through the area – surpassed limits set forth by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In some cases, these ships’ turbidity measurements reached levels akin to storms such as the recent damage left behind by Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
