Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings’ Great Stirrup Cay paid around $840,000 in environmental penalties for Covid-era environmental infractions, according to a report by The Tribune.

The amount was revealed by Zane Lightbourne, the Bahamas’ Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, in what is described as a rare public disclosure of the value of an environmental enforcement action.

The fines are reportedly related to multiple infractions, uncovered after a complaint by former Great Stirrup Cay employee Daylland Moxey prompted a Ministry of Environment investigation.

The environment minister said the Great Stirrup Cay infractions included breaches related to environmental consultant requirements, other development-related violations and a burning complaint from a whistleblower.

Lightbourne added that the government’s objective was not to collect fines, but to force compliance with environmental laws and regulations.

“We want levying fines and punishing people after the fact to be the last resort. We want compliance and cooperation,” he said, noting that long-term environmental damage cannot be reduced to a dollar figure.

“When you use the beauty and the comfort of some of your environmental spaces and you’ve already created a hazardous environment, the remediation is still a long-suffering point in some cases, and we hope to avoid that.”

However, Lightbourne did not confirm that the ministry’s investigative report would be released publicly, saying he would seek guidance from senior officials on whether it could be disclosed.

This follows criticism over the alleged secrecy surrounding environmental enforcement in the Bahamas.

A notable example is the 2022 Exuma incident, when 35,000 gallons of diesel leaked into waters off Great Exuma, and the amount of the fine to be paid by Sun Oil, which was delivering the fuel, was not shared.

At the time, Attorney General Ryan Pinder said that confidential settlements at the Office of the Attorney General would not be disclosed.