Letter to the Editor / Cruise Ships engender nothing positive for Key West !!
By.Jerry Weinstock, MD (Ecologist)
It is way too shallow for modern Cruise ships that have the capacity for about
3000 passengers – the trend has been larger ships – most of these larger
ships dock here in our small shallow harbor. The draft of these, their props barely
clear the bottom, stirring up huge amounts of oily silt and mostly toxic debris dumped by
the bunkers of other ships. Murky unhealthy ocean water impacts our reefs and
beaches. The result has been of unclear, unclean water the death of our coral
barrier reef and the vast diversified numbers of fish once alive now dead. I have seen
the barren residual and divers we once had from not only our state and country
but many other countries.do not visit here. Each ship generates and dumps several
hundred thousand gallons of untreated raw sewage; up to i million gallons of gray
water (from laundries, sinks and baths as well as galleys). Oily bilge water
averaging 25,000 gallons of this sludge per ship.
Fumes from low grade fuel permeate our once clean magnificent atmosphere
now being carcinogenic, unhealthy lowering our immune systems and MRSA killing
people the germs from sewage and other hazardous waste dumped into our waters.
Sport fishing and diving savaged. Propaganda of the value of Cruise ships is false!!
Several of Key West Lou’s articles last week were not accessible when clicking “continue reading” . Is he being censored?
He is one of the main reasons that I subscribe to Konk Life. I look forward to his fun, insightful columns. I hope it was just a mistake.