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A credible source revealed that the Azura cruiser with 3, 573 passengers on board, when arriving in the territorial waters of Puerto Plata, was about to turn around, since the smoke covered the Amber Cove terminal.

Due to an intense negotiation that lasted several hours, the executives of the Carnival chose to make landfall in Amber Cove, but not before directly calling the attention of the authorities of the Ministry of Tourism and the Municipal Government of Puerto Plata to this issue.

This vessel valued at 680 million dollars, owned by P & O Cruises which is a subsidiary company and two brands owned by Carnival Corporation, departed last Friday 22nd from Bridgetown in Barbados.

The tourist ship had “La Novia del Atlántico” on its itinerary of a 14-day round trip through the Caribbean, visiting in addition to Puerto Plata, the Caribbean islands of Antigua, Saint Kitts, Tortola, Saint Maarten, Saint Lucia, Grenadines and San Vicente.

It is recalled that, in August last year, the cruise Carnival Horizon from Saint Thomas, with 3,960 passengers and crew members, after seeing the cloud of toxic smoke coming from the landfill of Puerto Plata, canceled its visit.

At that time, the captain of the vessel changed course to New York, alleging mechanical damage to the operation of the ship, but in fact, frpm a previous experience at the Amber Cove terminal, the smoke from the landfill caused irritation to the passengers.

Guests leave hotel because of smoke

Meanwhile, due to this situation, hundreds of guests abandoned the facilities of the Senator hotels (formerly RIU) as the smoke from the landfill flooded the entire environment of this accommodation complex, located opposite the Bay of Maimon.

It was specified that in the morning of today more than 95 rooms occupied by tourists in the Senator hotels in Puerto Plata, were abandoned by their guests without paying a single penny for lodging services.

Likewise, it was learned that from smoke that the wind drags from the landfill of Puerto Plata to the Bay of Maimon, it caused breathing problems to the people lodged in the area and they repeatedly expressed their complaints to the administration.

Authorities are silent

Given the situation of the local landfill, ironically the competent authorities, tourist entrepreneurs and committed communicators, stay silent, since apparently “they try to cover the sun with a finger”.

The population of Puerto Plata continues to demand the definitive solution to this very serious problem, since it threatens the tourism which is the main source of employment in Puerto Plata after the sugar mills and other industries had disappeared.