39.0°

ANCHORAGE - Royal Caribbean Cruises said it mistakenly broke state law in discharging about 20,000 gallons of wastewater into Chatham Strait in Southeast Alaska.

Lynn Martenstein, a spokeswoman for the cruise line, told KTVA-TV in Anchorage that crew members aboard the Rhapsody of the Seas mistakenly discharged what's known as "gray water," wastewater from cabin showers and sinks, on June 10.

Company officials said the error was not discovered until a week later. Officials said the incident was immediately reported to a state inspector - or ocean ranger - aboard the ship as well as to state environmental regulators and the Coast Guard.

Officials said the ship's captain and environmental officer have been suspended while Royal Caribbean conducts a full investigation.