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Cruise Lines Open Up on Crime Reports: Cruise Lines Disclose Crime Data in Advance of Next Week's Congressional Hearing on Cruise Ship Safety

Posted on: Saturday, 4 March 2006, 06:00 CST

By Amy Martinez, The Miami Herald

Mar. 4--The world's major cruise ship operators have disclosed that 204 criminal or potentially criminal incidents happened aboard their ships in the past three years, providing more information about an aspect of cruising that normally is kept out of the public spotlight.

Seven major cruise operators, including Miami-based Carnival Corp. and Royal Caribbean Cruise,s made the disclosure to Congress in advance of a hearing on cruise ship safety next week in Washington.

Of the 204 incidents, 177 involved allegations of sexual misconduct ranging from inappropriate touching to rape, according to a memo sent this week to members of Congress by a senior policy analyst. The remaining incidents involved 23 cases of missing people and four robberies. The cruise lines also disclosed that 22 of the 177 alleged sexual misconduct incidents resulted in criminal arrests.

Analyst Nicholas Palarino notes in the memo that some 30 million people took cruises during the same three-year period, suggesting that crime on cruise ships is somewhat rare. Even so, Palarino recommends that cruise lines be more forthcoming with passengers about the risks involved with cruising.

The memo provides some clues about what type of regulatory action, if any, legislators might take. Palarino recommends, for instance, that American passengers be aware that even if they board a cruise ship in the United States, they might not be protected by the U.S. legal system.

Also, Palarino says the cruise lines should tell passengers how many guards they have on board, what training they've received, and what procedures are in place to investigate crimes.

U.S. and international laws prevent the cruise lines from revealing the specifics of their security programs for fear of giving criminals information that could be used against them, said Michael Crye, president of the International Council of Cruise Lines, a trade group based in Arlington, Va. The cruise lines maintain that cruising is one of the safest vacation options and that they already have a "zero tolerance" policy toward crime.

Palarino's recommendations "are not based on a complete analysis of laws and regulations that apply today," Crye said. "You're remarkably safe on a cruise ship."

Cruise ship safety has come under scrutiny following the disappearance of Connecticut honeymooner George Smith, 26, who was reported missing from Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Seas last summer. The FBI is investigating the possibility of murder, and Smith's family has threatened to file a wrongful-death lawsuit against Royal Caribbean.

U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays, a Connecticut Republican whose constituency includes the Smith family, organized Tuesday's hearing as chairman of the Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats and International Relations.

Miami lawyer Brett Rivkind, who represents the Smith family, said he'll urge the subcommittee to consider legislation requiring cruise lines to follow uniform standards for reporting and investigating crimes.

'A cruise ship is its own sovereign nation, and there's an atmosphere of 'protect the company, protect our employees,' " Rivkind said.

The FBI has investigated 210 allegations of crimes on cruise ships in the past five years. That number is similar to the number of incidents disclosed by cruise operators over the past three years. But because the FBI only investigates incidents in which it has jurisdiction, it does not consider itself a clearinghouse of information for cruise-ship crimes.

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Miami Herald

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Source: The Miami Herald

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