Carnival To Repay US Government For Rescue Efforts
Carnival has stated that it will repay the US government for the cost of recent rescue efforts.
Since taxpayers were saddled with picking up the tab for incidents involving the cruise ships Triumph and Splendor, the company explained that it will repay some of the money. Carnival previously stated that it would not fork over any cash in the matter.
The cruise line revealed that it intends to make voluntary payments to the US Treasury Department in an effort to cut down on the amount spent by taxpayers. Carnival added that no one from any government agency requested repayment for rescue efforts.
“It should be clearly noted that at no point in time has Carnival stated that it would refuse to reimburse federal agencies if they sought remuneration,” the company said in a statement.
However, Senator Jay Rockefeller has been extremely vocal about Carnival’s abuse of federal taxpayer’s money. In a letter to Carnival CEO Micky Arison, Rockefeller said the US Coast Guard had spent around $4.2 million assisting the company with over 90 serious incidents in the past five years.
Rockefeller wrote in his correspondence:
“These costs must ultimately be borne by federal taxpayers. Given that you reportedly pay little or nothing in federal taxes, do you intend to reimburse the Coast Guard and Navy for the cost of responding to either the Carnival Splendor marine casualty or the Carnival Triumph marine casualty.”
Carnival originally stated that it wouldn’t repay the nearly $800,000 in costs associated with Triumph’s rescue in February. The company explained that “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.”
It would seem the company has had a change of heart in recent days. However, it’s currently unclear how much the cruise line intends to cough up to cover these costs.
Do you think Carnival should be required to repay the money spent to rescue its vessels at sea?
