1. If the laws are strict in one country, but lax in another country, do cruise ship companies have an ethical obligation to follow the stricter laws even when they are temporarily sailing through the waters of a country with more lax regulations?
2. Many cruise ships travel outside the 200-mile limits set by the United States and Canada. Do these ships have any environmental responsibilities when they are sailing in international waters?
3. How much should port cities compromise on pollution standards in order to generate tourism?

Cruise ships are, in essence, floating small towns. They carry thousands of passengers on ships that often stand 13 decks tall. The cruise ship industry that travels from Washington State to Alaska pumps billions of dollars into the economies of many American and Canadian port cities. Each time a ship docks at Seattle its pours $1.7 million in to the local economy, $2 million in to the Greater Vancouver economy, and $1 billion annually into Victoria’s tourism sector.