Some scientists suggest that the recent rise in ocean water levels can partly be attributed to over-weight cruise ship passengers. This was never a problem in the past but there are now so many people with disposable incomes and over sized girths taking long cruises that the evidence has become difficult to overlook. The cruise lines are also partly to blame for this phenomena because of the fact that their passengers are encouraged to overeat with lavish banquets and buffets. Passengers find the temptation to chow down at several meals a day and pack on extra weight to be too difficult to resist.

A spokesperson for the World Ocean Level Institute claims that “these ships were designed for passengers with an average weight of approximately 175 pounds, in the past 5 years we’ve seen these averages climb to 225 pounds and more. Couple that with the huge increase in the number of ships at sea at any give time and you can see why we would have cause for alarm. Something must be done!”

Another concern is the number of over-weight passengers jumping overboard while the ships are at sea. This causes an even greater displacement of water than would ordinarily be expected because they spend more time in the water, thus causing the average to be much higher than normal.

Scientists have yet to come up with a workable solution to this growing problem and are worried that if nothing is done the mean ocean levels will continue to rise, eventually inundating many coastal cities. One suggestion was to have passengers exercise more while on board, with someone even suggesting that the passengers take up oars and actually row the ships like ancient galleys.

tags: humor, cruise, ship, fat, overweight, global warming