Advisory: Activists to protest Seattle cruise terminal expansion ahead of industry event

November 5, 2019

Letter asks Port of Seattle to consider Carnival Corporation’s criminal record as part of supplemental Request For Proposal process

Traditional Puget Sound Salish and Duwamish Lands (SEATTLE, WA) — Environmental activists plan to protest the Port of Seattle’s cruise terminal expansion proposal outside the Cruise Connections industry event from noon to 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, November 6, in downtown Seattle. 

WHAT: Environmental activists with Stand.earth and 350 Seattle plan to protest the Port of Seattle’s Cruise Terminal 46 expansion proposal during Cruise Connections, an industry event co-sponsored by the Port of Seattle and Cruise Lines International Association. The event brings together local suppliers, tourism partners, and community leaders to hear from cruise line executives and cruise industry representatives. 

WHEN: Wednesday, November 6. Cruise Connections runs from 1-6 p.m.; activists plan to protest outside the hotel from approximately noon to 1:30 p.m. 

WHERE: Embassy Suites by Hilton, Seattle Downtown Pioneer Square, 255 South King Street, Seattle, WA 98104

VISUALS: The activists plan to protest outside the hotel with a variety of props including dolphin and polar bear costumes, signs, 100-square-foot banners, and chanting/singing. 

WHO: Stand.earth leads the international Clean Up Carnival campaign calling on Carnival Corporation to clean up its environmental practices, including ending its use of heavy fuel oil. 350 Seattle is engaged in the environmental review process for the cruise terminal expansion proposal and is asking the port to consider a broad range of environmental impacts during the scoping process, which runs through November 13. 

WHY: Stand.earth and 350 Seattle oppose the cruise terminal expansion and are concerned with how the expansion would impact local air quality and water quality, and contribute to global climate change. 

The Port is currently seeking RFPs from three groups, including Carnival Corporation, to co-invest in the expansion. Holland America, which is headquartered in Seattle, is a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation. Holland America cruise ships travel from Seattle and Vancouver, B.C. to Alaska, including a ship cited in Carnival’s criminal case for illegally discharging gray water into Glacier Bay National Park.

In October, 350 Seattle submitted a letter to the Port asking for a supplemental Request For Proposal (RFP) process that considers Carnival Corporation’s criminal record for its environmental crimes related to ocean dumping and other impacts. The letter also requests a comprehensive Life Cycle Assessment to better understand the pollution impacts from the expansion. 

During the next Port Commission meeting on November 12, Stand.earth and 350 Seattle plan to deliver a letter signed by more than a dozen organizations who oppose the cruise terminal expansion, accompanied by a critique of the Port’s proposal that includes the global climate impact of the shipping industry and cruise sector, as well as the equity impacts of the Port’s expansion proposal.

SPOKESPEOPLE: Spokespeople from Stand.earth and 350 Seattle, as well as concerned local citizens and volunteers, will be available for comment, including:

  • Jim Ace, Climate Campaigner at Stand.earth
  • Stacy Oaks, Organizer at 350 Seattle 

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Media contact: Virginia Cleaveland, Communications Manager, virginia@stand.earth, 510-858-9902 (US) or 778-984-3994 (Canada)