Spirit Cruises Settlement
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Spirit Cruises Settles Commercial Harbor Craft Regulation Violations for $50,000
Spirit Cruises paid $50,000 in penalties to the California Air Resources Board (CARB), for violating the Commercial Harbor Craft Regulation. The violations were discovered during a routine inspection by CARB staff. This settlement was reached in May 2021 after extended negotiations. An investigation by CARB showed that Spirit Cruises operated at least three vessels, including the Motor Yacht (M/Y) Spirit, the Sailing Ship (SS) Spirit, and the Pacific Spirit out of compliance with the Commercial Harbor Craft in-use standard, resulting in multiple violations for multiple years, for a penalty of $3,846 per violation. This amount reflects the violator’s financial inability to pay, corrective efforts that were taken or will be taken, and lack of enforcement history. To settle the case, Spirit Cruises agreed to a $550,000 penalty with $500,000 of the penalty suspended, an injunction against operation until the remaining noncompliant vessels are brought into compliance, recordkeeping and quarterly reporting requirements, and to comply with CARB regulations.