Cruise ship food: 10,680 hot dogs just tip of the iceberg

[Very Frequent Flyer]

http://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-ideas/best-of-travel/cruise-ship-food-10680-hot-dogs-just-tip-of-the-iceberg/news-story/75172182961eb2adf62fc67d6804fe8f

[cb at sea]

Amazing, isn't it?

[chengkp75]

And about 25-30% of that is ground up and pumped overboard as fish food.

[tomko2]

Truly amazing.

Also really like that photo of the aft.

[Philly Steve]

"31,900 bottles of beer on the wall, 31,900 bottles of beer...." :D

[3CatsInMA]

Now if only they could use hot dog buns that didn't resemble cardboard...

[ATC cruiser]

Now if only they could use hot dog buns that didn't resemble cardboard...

 

 

It is all in the bun.

[Hotel CA]

More Vodka bottles than Rum each week????

 

I gotta cut back on my Vodka consumption.............................

[Keith1010]

Interesting article.

 

Keith

[Clarea]

And about 25-30% of that is ground up and pumped overboard as fish food.

Wow.

[chengkp75]

And about 25-30% of that is ground up and pumped overboard as fish food.

 

Wow.

 

I remember that there was one poor galley utility who was assigned to the utility pulper (a large industrial garbage disposal, that is part of a centralized system of disposals around the ship) at night, from the time the restaurants closed until midnite or so, and the galley crew would bring down the garbage cans full of cooked, unused food, and he would use a coal shovel to shovel the stuff into the pulper all night. Whatever he couldn't get ground up by the time his shift was done, was stored in the garbage refrigerator (yep, in order to keep the garbage sanitary), until the poor schlub on the day shift could get to it.

[Clarea]

I remember that there was one poor galley utility who was assigned to the utility pulper (a large industrial garbage disposal, that is part of a centralized system of disposals around the ship) at night, from the time the restaurants closed until midnite or so, and the galley crew would bring down the garbage cans full of cooked, unused food, and he would use a coal shovel to shovel the stuff into the pulper all night. Whatever he couldn't get ground up by the time his shift was done, was stored in the garbage refrigerator (yep, in order to keep the garbage sanitary), until the poor schlub on the day shift could get to it.

Are there geographical restrictions as to where this pulped food can be dumped?

[Gig103]

Great article! I wonder about the liquor; not the number they are quoting but if it's actually loaded in the USA. I always assumed that the booze was purchased in a tax friendly port along the way, like the Bahamas.

 

 

Another Fun fact - MSC employees told us that they ran out of beer and most liquor on AN Australian cruise that had a huge veteran's and military group on board. A whole container had to be loaded part way through the cruise!

And about 25-30% of that is ground up and pumped overboard as fish food.

I dunno about that number, maybe you do, but what I was told on Celebrity is that most waste is from the buffet. The logistics of the MDR allows for them to predict rather accurately what is needed and what is likely to be served based on a fleet of prior cruises.

[chengkp75]

Are there geographical restrictions as to where this pulped food can be dumped?

 

Yes, MARPOL Annex 6 deals solely with garbage discharge at sea. Ground food waste must be discharged more than 3 nm from shore, while underway. There are "special areas" designated by the IMO where stricter limits are enforced, the most common ones for cruisers are the "Wider Caribbean Area", the Baltic Sea, and the North Sea, where pulped food cannot be discharged until more than 12 nm from shore.

[chengkp75]

Great article! I wonder about the liquor; not the number they are quoting but if it's actually loaded in the USA. I always assumed that the booze was purchased in a tax friendly port along the way, like the Bahamas.

 

 

Another Fun fact - MSC employees told us that they ran out of beer and most liquor on AN Australian cruise that had a huge veteran's and military group on board. A whole container had to be loaded part way through the cruise!

 

I dunno about that number, maybe you do, but what I was told on Celebrity is that most waste is from the buffet. The logistics of the MDR allows for them to predict rather accurately what is needed and what is likely to be served based on a fleet of prior cruises.

 

Since the ship is not US flag, the liquor is bought "out of bond", meaning that no state liquor tax has been paid. Sales tax must be paid if the sale occurred in port. Similarly, anything that the ship brings from overseas and loads in the US, like parts for the engines, etc., are free of US customs, since they are coming from a foreign country to a foreign ship.

 

While their statistical analysis allows for close monitoring of food usage on a fleet-year basis, on any given cruise the tastes may change and some items not be as popular as the next week. The other side of the coin is the tight control on food safety mandated by the USPH. Contrary to what many people believe, there are no leftovers onboard, reused or repurposed the next day. Every uneaten roll from the bread baskets goes overboard. Time and temperature control requires that any "potentially hazardous" food that is removed from temperature control (keeping it out of the danger zone, <40* or >140*) by taking it from a temperature controlled appliance (oven, warming box) must be discarded within 4 hours. So, even the food on the "assembly line" in the main galley could be disposed of prior to completion of meal service, especially when "freestyle, my time, or dynamic" dining concepts are used.

[Clarea]

Yes, MARPOL Annex 6 deals solely with garbage discharge at sea. Ground food waste must be discharged more than 3 nm from shore, while underway. There are "special areas" designated by the IMO where stricter limits are enforced, the most common ones for cruisers are the "Wider Caribbean Area", the Baltic Sea, and the North Sea, where pulped food cannot be discharged until more than 12 nm from shore.

Thanks.

[chengkp75]

Thanks.

 

In the interest of accuracy, and apologizing for posting before my morning coffee, it is MARPOL Annex 5 that deals with garbage, Annex 6 is air pollution.

[chengkp75]

Thanks.

 

Delete.

Edited March 2, 2016 by chengkp75

[tustin3]

What Bob said....Wow!