HAL Committed To Protecting Environment!

Hi Everyone,

I received this press release from Holland America and thought it
would be of interest. If you have missed any of my news' postings,
they are available on my web site.

Best regards,
Ray
LIGHTHOUSE TRAVEL
800-719-9917 or 805-566-3905
http://www.lighthousetravel.com


Holland America Line Committed To Protecting Environment Through
Comprehensive Fleetwide Programs & Innovations

Seattle
Holland America Line demonstrates its commitment to responsible
environmental practices through a comprehensive fleetwide program that
emphasizes waste reduction and recycling, compliance with all
international environmental guidelines and a decision to incorporate
cleaner-burning propulsion technology into the line’s new ships.
Holland America Line’s ships currently meet or exceed all provisions
of the international regulations governing the environmental
management of marine operations. An environmental officer serves on
each ship to oversee shipboard compliance and procedures.


Each ship in the Holland America Line fleet undergoes a strict port-
and flag-state inspection annually and a mandatory environmental audit
conducted both by an outside environmental auditing firm and by
internal staff. Ships also are subject to flag and port state review.

Embracing New Technologies
Holland America Line has a history of embracing new environmental
technologies. Four years ago, at a cost of US$2.5 million per ship,
the company installed a revolutionary wastewater treatment process
aboard six ships to purify sewage, sink and shower water to
near-drinking water quality. Today, a similar system has been built
into all three Vista ships.

“The ramifications of these treatment plants are quite amazing,” said
A. Kirk Lanterman, chairman and CEO of Holland America Line. “These
ships discharge water that is virtually pure, and it’s cleaner than
the treated wastewater of many communities. Holland America Line has
always had a strong commitment to the environment and seeking
innovative solutions to cruise ship waste.”

Developed by Zenon Environmental Inc., the initial treatment plant
processes wastewater through biological, filtering and ultraviolet
stages before discharge. The discharge water is pure and would meet
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) drinking water standards except
for a slight saline content. The Zenon system has been installed
aboard the 1,266-passenger ms Statendam, ms Maasdam, ms Ryndam and ms
Veendam and the 1,440-passenger ms Volendam and ms Zaandam.

On all Vista Class ships a comparable system works in a slightly
different way to produce similar results. Called Rochem, this
multi-million dollar system also treats all the water used on the
ship. Like Zenon, the water that comes from the Rochem system for
discharge is purified to a level that is near-drinking water quality.

To complement its wastewater treatment plants, the entire Holland
America fleet is equipped with on-board storage facilities that can
process and hold solid waste for up to 14 days.

All ships have a comprehensive bilge water management program that
minimizes the amount of water and oil getting into the bilges. Oily
bilge water is then separated into water and oil, following strict
compliance procedures. Each ship also carries a back-up oily water
separator.

All Vista Ships Feature Gas Turbines
Beginning with the new Zuiderdam which arrived in December 2002, the
four 85,000-ton Vista-class vessels feature traditional
diesel-electric power plants as well as a gas-turbine unit to serve as
a second power source. Gas-turbine technology reduces exhaust
emissions and can be used together with the diesel-electric system
when cruising in particularly sensitive environments such as Glacier
Bay or the Baltic Sea and while in port.

In addition, the vessel’s Azipod propulsion system is estimated to
reduce fuel consumption — and thereby emissions -- by as much as 40
tons of fuel per week.

Recycling Before It Was Popular
A pioneer in on-board recycling, Holland America Line implemented a
comprehensive recycling program in 1993. Currently glass, aluminum,
white paper, wooden pallets, plastic buckets, cardboard, cooking oil
and photographic silver are recycled. The line works with suppliers to
reduce the amount of packaging materials for supplies and requires
cabin amenities to be packaged in recyclable materials.

Each ship has a staff of five crew who are responsible for processing,
storing, recycling and disposing of the approximately eight tons of
garbage generated on board each ship every seven days. Proceeds from
recycled materials are added to the shipboard crew benefit fund.

The cruise line invites passengers to participate in its on-board
environmental programs. Holland America is the only line to place
receptacles in staterooms for passengers to sort recyclable materials
from trash. Additionally, passengers are encouraged to reuse bath
towels, thus reducing the amount of water consumed by the laundry.

Environmentalism on Land and Through Corporate Support
On Half Moon Cay, Holland America’s private island in the Bahamas,
great care was taken not to upset the natural ecology of the island.
Only 2 percent of 2,400-acre Little San Salvador was developed to
accommodate the line’s shoreside facilities, and those facilities are
designed to minimize environmental impacts on the island bird
sanctuary. The Bahamian government has recognized Half Moon Cay as a
role model visitor destination providing an enhanced Bahamian
experience while maintaining a positive balance with the natural
environment.

Holland America Line further demonstrates its concern for
environmental issues by supporting a variety of eco-oriented
organizations, including the National Trust for the Cayman Islands,
Alaska Raptor Rehabilitation Center, Alaska SeaLife Center, Woodland
Park Zoo in Seattle, Yukon Wildlife Preserve, American Oceans Campaign
and the Seattle Aquarium.

About Holland America Line
In 2004, Holland America's fleet of 13, five-star, premium ships will
offer nearly 500 sailings from 15 North American home ports, including
new departures from Norfolk, VA; Baltimore, MD; and Boston, Mass.
Recent additions to the fleet include the 1,848-passenger Vista ships,
ms Zuiderdam and ms Oosterdam. In April 2004, the third Vista sister,
ms Westerdam joins the fleet. The fleet will visit all seven
continents in 2004, while increasing the number of cruises to popular
destinations such as Alaska (139 cruises scheduled), the Caribbean
(191), Europe (58) and Canada/New England (26).

Holland America excels in service, amenities and special programs.
Known for consistent and attentive service, its ships have one of the
highest staff-members-to-guest ratios. Spacious staterooms average 25
percent larger and verandahs twice as large as those on other lines'
ships. Menus are among the most extensive at-sea. Dining choices
include formal elegance, alternative specialty dining in the Pacific
Northwest-themed Pinnacle Grill, casual fare and complimentary 24-hour
room service.

The winner of the 10th consecutive "Best Overall Cruise Value" award
from the World Ocean & Cruise Liner Society (WOCLS), the line offers
the only trip cancellation program in the industry that provides cash
back for canceling for any reason prior to 24 hours before departure.
For more information, consult a professional travel agent.

World's Leading Cruise Lines
The highest-rated premium cruise line in the world in the 2003 Travel
& Leisure magazine "World's Best" Awards, Holland America is a member
of the exclusive World's Leading Cruise Lines alliance, which also
includes Carnival Cruise Lines, Princess Cruises, Cunard Line,
Seabourn Cruise Line, Costa Cruises and Windstar Cruises. Sharing a
passion to please each guest and a commitment to quality and value,
the member lines appeal to a wide range of lifestyles and budgets. The
World's Leading Cruise Lines offer exciting and enriching cruise
vacations to the world's most desirable destinations. Conde Nast
Traveler magazine readers also ranked Holland America Line as the top
premium cruise line in the world in the much-anticipated 2003 Readers'
Choice Awards.

Just last week, the Noordam was accused of dumping sewage in Tampa Bay on a
regular basis. The chief engineer was removed from the ship. I know cruise
lines keep up the PR about how environmentaly concerned they are but about
every 6 months an announcement like this is made. The fingings are almost
always that is was not accidental.


"Ray Goldenberg" wrote in message
...
Hi Everyone,

I received this press release from Holland America and thought it
would be of interest. If you have missed any of my news' postings,
they are available on my web site.

Best regards,
Ray
LIGHTHOUSE TRAVEL
800-719-9917 or 805-566-3905
http://www.lighthousetravel.com


Holland America Line Committed To Protecting Environment Through
Comprehensive Fleetwide Programs & Innovations

Seattle
Holland America Line demonstrates its commitment to responsible
environmental practices through a comprehensive fleetwide program that
emphasizes waste reduction and recycling, compliance with all
international environmental guidelines and a decision to incorporate
cleaner-burning propulsion technology into the line's new ships.
Holland America Line's ships currently meet or exceed all provisions
of the international regulations governing the environmental
management of marine operations. An environmental officer serves on
each ship to oversee shipboard compliance and procedures.


Each ship in the Holland America Line fleet undergoes a strict port-
and flag-state inspection annually and a mandatory environmental audit
conducted both by an outside environmental auditing firm and by
internal staff. Ships also are subject to flag and port state review.

Embracing New Technologies
Holland America Line has a history of embracing new environmental
technologies. Four years ago, at a cost of US$2.5 million per ship,
the company installed a revolutionary wastewater treatment process
aboard six ships to purify sewage, sink and shower water to
near-drinking water quality. Today, a similar system has been built
into all three Vista ships.

"The ramifications of these treatment plants are quite amazing," said
A. Kirk Lanterman, chairman and CEO of Holland America Line. "These
ships discharge water that is virtually pure, and it's cleaner than
the treated wastewater of many communities. Holland America Line has
always had a strong commitment to the environment and seeking
innovative solutions to cruise ship waste."

Developed by Zenon Environmental Inc., the initial treatment plant
processes wastewater through biological, filtering and ultraviolet
stages before discharge. The discharge water is pure and would meet
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) drinking water standards except
for a slight saline content. The Zenon system has been installed
aboard the 1,266-passenger ms Statendam, ms Maasdam, ms Ryndam and ms
Veendam and the 1,440-passenger ms Volendam and ms Zaandam.

On all Vista Class ships a comparable system works in a slightly
different way to produce similar results. Called Rochem, this
multi-million dollar system also treats all the water used on the
ship. Like Zenon, the water that comes from the Rochem system for
discharge is purified to a level that is near-drinking water quality.

To complement its wastewater treatment plants, the entire Holland
America fleet is equipped with on-board storage facilities that can
process and hold solid waste for up to 14 days.

All ships have a comprehensive bilge water management program that
minimizes the amount of water and oil getting into the bilges. Oily
bilge water is then separated into water and oil, following strict
compliance procedures. Each ship also carries a back-up oily water
separator.

All Vista Ships Feature Gas Turbines
Beginning with the new Zuiderdam which arrived in December 2002, the
four 85,000-ton Vista-class vessels feature traditional
diesel-electric power plants as well as a gas-turbine unit to serve as
a second power source. Gas-turbine technology reduces exhaust
emissions and can be used together with the diesel-electric system
when cruising in particularly sensitive environments such as Glacier
Bay or the Baltic Sea and while in port.

In addition, the vessel's Azipod propulsion system is estimated to
reduce fuel consumption - and thereby emissions -- by as much as 40
tons of fuel per week.

Recycling Before It Was Popular
A pioneer in on-board recycling, Holland America Line implemented a
comprehensive recycling program in 1993. Currently glass, aluminum,
white paper, wooden pallets, plastic buckets, cardboard, cooking oil
and photographic silver are recycled. The line works with suppliers to
reduce the amount of packaging materials for supplies and requires
cabin amenities to be packaged in recyclable materials.

Each ship has a staff of five crew who are responsible for processing,
storing, recycling and disposing of the approximately eight tons of
garbage generated on board each ship every seven days. Proceeds from
recycled materials are added to the shipboard crew benefit fund.

The cruise line invites passengers to participate in its on-board
environmental programs. Holland America is the only line to place
receptacles in staterooms for passengers to sort recyclable materials
from trash. Additionally, passengers are encouraged to reuse bath
towels, thus reducing the amount of water consumed by the laundry.

Environmentalism on Land and Through Corporate Support
On Half Moon Cay, Holland America's private island in the Bahamas,
great care was taken not to upset the natural ecology of the island.
Only 2 percent of 2,400-acre Little San Salvador was developed to
accommodate the line's shoreside facilities, and those facilities are
designed to minimize environmental impacts on the island bird
sanctuary. The Bahamian government has recognized Half Moon Cay as a
role model visitor destination providing an enhanced Bahamian
experience while maintaining a positive balance with the natural
environment.

Holland America Line further demonstrates its concern for
environmental issues by supporting a variety of eco-oriented
organizations, including the National Trust for the Cayman Islands,
Alaska Raptor Rehabilitation Center, Alaska SeaLife Center, Woodland
Park Zoo in Seattle, Yukon Wildlife Preserve, American Oceans Campaign
and the Seattle Aquarium.

About Holland America Line
In 2004, Holland America's fleet of 13, five-star, premium ships will
offer nearly 500 sailings from 15 North American home ports, including
new departures from Norfolk, VA; Baltimore, MD; and Boston, Mass.
Recent additions to the fleet include the 1,848-passenger Vista ships,
ms Zuiderdam and ms Oosterdam. In April 2004, the third Vista sister,
ms Westerdam joins the fleet. The fleet will visit all seven
continents in 2004, while increasing the number of cruises to popular
destinations such as Alaska (139 cruises scheduled), the Caribbean
(191), Europe (58) and Canada/New England (26).

Holland America excels in service, amenities and special programs.
Known for consistent and attentive service, its ships have one of the
highest staff-members-to-guest ratios. Spacious staterooms average 25
percent larger and verandahs twice as large as those on other lines'
ships. Menus are among the most extensive at-sea. Dining choices
include formal elegance, alternative specialty dining in the Pacific
Northwest-themed Pinnacle Grill, casual fare and complimentary 24-hour
room service.

The winner of the 10th consecutive "Best Overall Cruise Value" award
from the World Ocean & Cruise Liner Society (WOCLS), the line offers
the only trip cancellation program in the industry that provides cash
back for canceling for any reason prior to 24 hours before departure.
For more information, consult a professional travel agent.

World's Leading Cruise Lines
The highest-rated premium cruise line in the world in the 2003 Travel
& Leisure magazine "World's Best" Awards, Holland America is a member
of the exclusive World's Leading Cruise Lines alliance, which also
includes Carnival Cruise Lines, Princess Cruises, Cunard Line,
Seabourn Cruise Line, Costa Cruises and Windstar Cruises. Sharing a
passion to please each guest and a commitment to quality and value,
the member lines appeal to a wide range of lifestyles and budgets. The
World's Leading Cruise Lines offer exciting and enriching cruise
vacations to the world's most desirable destinations. Conde Nast
Traveler magazine readers also ranked Holland America Line as the top
premium cruise line in the world in the much-anticipated 2003 Readers'
Choice Awards.

Robert Clarkson" wrote:

Just last week, the Noordam was accused of dumping sewage in Tampa Bay on
a regular basis. The chief engineer was removed from the ship. I know cruise
lines keep up the PR about how environmentaly concerned they are but about
every 6 months an announcement like this is made. The fingings are almost
always that is was not accidental.

Thank you for pointing this out to us.
We don't have all the facts yet, but it bears watching.

Here's a link to a pertinent story about the Noordam incident:

http://www.sptimes.com/2004/04/14/Bu...e_dumped.shtml

And this to Ray: When you post a press release about a company, do you suppose
you might take the time to include the other side of the story, too?
If you don't, you risk looking like a mouthpiece for the industry.


"Ray Goldenberg" wrote in message
.. .
Hi Everyone,

I received this press release from Holland America and thought it
would be of interest. If you have missed any of my news' postings,
they are available on my web site.

Best regards,
Ray
LIGHTHOUSE TRAVEL
800-719-9917 or 805-566-3905
http://www.lighthousetravel.com


Holland America Line Committed To Protecting Environment Through
Comprehensive Fleetwide Programs & Innovations

Seattle
Holland America Line demonstrates its commitment to responsible
environmental practices through a comprehensive fleetwide program that
emphasizes waste reduction and recycling, compliance with all
international environmental guidelines and a decision to incorporate
cleaner-burning propulsion technology into the line's new ships.
Holland America Line's ships currently meet or exceed all provisions
of the international regulations governing the environmental
management of marine operations. An environmental officer serves on
each ship to oversee shipboard compliance and procedures.

(snip)

On Fri, 23 Apr 2004 15:51:11 GMT in rec.travel.cruises, "Robert
Clarkson" wrote:

Just last week, the Noordam was accused of dumping sewage in Tampa Bay on a
regular basis. The chief engineer was removed from the ship. I know cruise
lines keep up the PR about how environmentaly concerned they are but about
every 6 months an announcement like this is made.

the same felons of holland america were pumping oil polluted
bilge water overboard in glacier bay, and the park service, who
by law SHOULD have cancelled all their permits, were browbeaten
by senator ted stevens (r-arrogance) to allow even *more* permits
to disturb the whales.

of course ray thinks that everything cruise line press releases
say is the gospel truth, when they are in fact full of lies and
half truths.

================================================== ===========
If you want to see the real Alaska, don't come on a
cruise ship! See the cruise industry rogue's gallery
at http://www.juneaucrondahls.com/ship2000.htm

Dennis P. Harris