The issue of flawed relationships between companies and their compliance monitors came into focus when a federal judge in Miami raised concerns about the power held by Carnival Corp.'s monitor to spur systemic change at the world's largest cruise operator.

The company was in court April 10 for allegedly dumping pollutants at sea in violation of a 2016 probation agreement that came with a record $40 million fine for operations by Carnival-owned Princess Cruises. Eight of its cruise lines were subject to compliance monitoring.

After the hearing, a Carnival spokesman issued a statement saying the cruise company heard the concerns of U.S. District Judge Patricia Seitz and “will do our utmost to ensure we meet all expectations under the [environmental compliance program] and continue to strive to be best in class on environmental compliance.” He declined to comment beyond the statement.