City of Monterey, NOAA hosting cruise ship informational meeting

UPDATE (06.17.19 10:45 P.M.): Monterey Bay residents came out on Monday to show their concerns over cruise ships entering the bay every year.

Many are concerned with the environmental impacts the vessels have, including the potential oil spill which experts say could be catastrophic to marine life on the Central Coast.

Every year, about 10 to 20 cruise ships enter the Monterey Bay giving visitors the chance to enjoy the beauty of our coastline.

“I see the cruise ships and I worry about the impact that the ships are going to have on our marine mammals,” said Betsy Adler, a Pacific Grove resident.

“We’ve all seen what oil spills do to wildlife. Those impacts would be similar here as they are other places,” said Scott Kathey, who works in the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.

To ease concerns, the City of Monterey hosted this meeting on Monday to clear the air. Representatives from the Monterey Bay Air Resources District, the National Marine Sanctuary, the US Coast Guard and others discussed how cruise ships are regulated and inspected.

“There’s a list of regulations that all vessels have to meet, so we go on board and make sure they’re in substantial compliance,” said Lt. Amanda Garcia, who came representing the US Coast Guard.

The Coast Guard does quarterly and random inspections covering safety, environmental and documentation compliance. It is all about prevention they say, including a ban on any kind of wastewater discharge in the Monterey Bay.

Luckily, there has been no major environmental event on our coast in the last 17 years cruise ships have been allowed in the bay. Residents say regulations are key.

“Tourism is important for our region, but we need to be responsible about it,” said Adler.

No new regulatory requirements are coming out of the information session.

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The City of Monterey and NOAA’s Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary are hosting an informational session about cruise ships in the Monterey Bay.

The meeting is happening from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday at the Monterey Conference Center. The city says it will also be broadcast live on Monterey Channel 25 and streamed at monterey.org/tv.

They are bringing in a panel of representatives from multiple agencies, including the U.S Coast Guard, the California State Lands Commission and the Monterey Bay Air Resources District, to give information about cruise ship operation regulations.

The panel will take questions from the public and say they will address environmental concerns related to cruise ships in the bay.

The City of Monterey says large cruise ships started visiting in 2002, bringing tourists- and with economic benefits. Their appearance has also raised concerns about environmental impact.

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