Cruise ship exhaust prompts complaints to Alaska agency

JUNEAU, Alaska – Officials say exhaust emissions from a Norwegian Cruise Line vessel docking in Juneau prompted at least 10 complaints to an Alaska regulatory agency.

The Juneau Empire reports the state Department of Environmental Conservation received at least nine calls and one electronic complaint about the exhaust flowing from the Norwegian Pearl’s stack as it docked Tuesday.

Ed White, manager of the department’s Commercial Passenger Vessel Environmental Compliance program, says the number of complaints is “probably as high as any day that we’ve seen.” He says the department is processing the complaints and cannot comment on ongoing compliance issues.

White says emissions monitors were watching Tuesday, but a report of any violation from the ship has not been received yet.

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Information from: Juneau (Alaska) Empire, http://www.juneauempire.com