On 26 August 2013, the crew of
Caribbean Princess deliberately discharged of oil-contaminated
bilge pollution off the southern coast of England. The discharge involved the illegal modification of the vessel's on-board pollution control systems and use of a "
magic pipe", and was photographed by a newly hired engineer. When the ship subsequently berthed at
Southampton, the engineer resigned his position and reported the discharge to the UK
Maritime and Coastguard Agency. An investigation was launched by the
United States Department of Justice Environment and Natural Resources Division which found that the practice had been taking place on
Caribbean Princess and four other Princess ships since 2005. In December 2016, Princess Cruise Lines agreed to plead guilty to seven felony charges and pay a $40 million penalty. The charges related to illegal discharges off the coasts of Florida, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. As part of the agreement cruise ships from eight Carnival companies, including
Carnival Cruise Line and
Holland America Line, are required to operate for five years under a court-supervised environmental compliance plan with independent audits and a court-appointed monitor. According to the US Justice Department, the fine was the "largest-ever criminal penalty involving deliberate vessel pollution." ==Areas of operation==