Is Congress doing enough make cruise passengers safe?
The Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act of 2008, if passed, will affect all US-flagged cruise ships, and all cruise ships which load or unload passengers in any US port. One would hope that Congress will amend the Act’s shortcomings, and that the vast majority of its requirements become universal on cruise ships across the globe. Time will tell.
Under the Act, staterooms will get a peep hole in the door, a security latch, and a time sensitive key, meant to limit room access by ship’s personnel. Security video cameras will be required in targeted locations to improve surveillance. An overboard detection system will be installed to the extent that this technology is available.
The overboard detection system regulation is one of the problematic sections of the Act. At this time, there are two types of detection systems available — the CSVSS type system, and the Personnel Monitoring, Overboard Detection type system invented by Matthew Marsh.
While CSVSS is great for general ship security, it falls very short in overboard passenger location and rescue, unlike the Personnel system, recommended by the International Cruise Victims Association (ICV). There is a potential problem with the Personnel system. It would require each passenger to wear a bracelet or necklace, at which many passengers may balk, and therefore not do, negating the effectiveness of the system. Nevertheless, it is my belief that the Personnel system should be required.
The Act would require ships to raise their railings to a height of 54″ in an effort to make it more difficult to fall overboard. I believe this requirement shouldn’t be made. I’m an average height man. This regulation would put the railing at my arm pits. For many women, the railing would be at their eye level or above.
OSHA’s railing height requirement is 42″ +/- 3″, the approximate height of today’s cruise ship railings. The new railing height would block passengers’ view of the sea while sitting on deck, and make it difficult for many to stand and scan the sea, or take photographs. If passed, I think we’ll find many passengers dangerously standing on chairs and tables, at the railing, to get a better look. I believe the OSHA requirement is more than adequate unless the passenger is engaging in risky behavior, and who’s fault is that?
The Act includes excellent requirements in case of shipboard crime. Rape kits must be available and a licensed physician must be on board the ship 24×7. The rape kits must include in-date supplies of anti-retroviral and other medications to prevent sexually transmitted diseases. At least one crew member on every cruise must be fully trained in crime scene investigation. The Act includes the requirement that every crime will be reported, properly investigated, and logged. Every crime victim will be given access to privately contact the FBI and other US law enforcement personnel, as well as all crime evidence collected, and records made, including video.
One problem reported by the ICV in the past, was that once the cruise line dismissed a crew member due to alleged involvement in a crime, it was impossible to track him or her down. The Act would require the cruise lines to maintain a database of such crew members to assist victims and law enforcement officials in locating them.
One element which could make passengers considerably safer is notably missing from the Act, and from mention by ICV in their testimony. In reviewing the stories of ICV victims, and others in the news, it would appear that many incidents involve excessive drinking and/or other risky behaviors.
In Pennsylvania it’s illegal to sell alcoholic beverages to a person who is visibly or obviously intoxicated. Those who serve those people are held responsible for their actions while drunk. I have seen cruise ships serve obviously drunk people often. I have seen cruise passengers stagger down ships’ halls and decks. If we really want to make cruise ships safer, the cruise lines must be held responsible for continuing to serve intoxicated people more liquor. This Act needs to include such a regulation.
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6 Responses to “Is Congress doing enough make cruise passengers safe?”
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Congress has or should have their hands full of more pressing issues.
Hi Marge. I understand your feeling that Congress has very pressing issues, of bringing our young men and women home safely from the battlefield, of fiscal and economic affairs, of immigration, of job problems. Yet, I believe Congress and the entire Federal government is capable of multitasking.
While I understand your feeling about this matter, I also empathize with Sarah Alexander, Shari Cecil, Laurie Dishman, Chantal Hopkins, Cathy Johnson, Janet Kelly, Angela Orlich, Kim Rossi, Deborah Shaffer, and far too many others who have been the victims of sexual assault while on cruises.
I don’t think it’s too much to ask of our Federal House and Senate, and of our President, to work to prevent crime on cruise ships and improve safety, while they tackle other issues in their work. I think our Congress owes it to all Americas to make our lives as safe as possible through relevant and sound legislation, whether we’re at home, at work, at school, at play, or on vacation.
I don’t believe that the bills pending in Congress have addressed the area of background checks for the personnel on board the various cruise ships. Why not stop a problem before it occurs? Passengers should not have to worry about crew member who may have a violent criminal record, are addicted to drugs or alcohol or are sexual deviants. Such personnel should be banned from employment on any cruise ship, which docks at U.S. ports.
Great point, Nate. In addition, cruise lines should require passengers to sign a waiver stating the passenger or other entities will not hold the cruise line company responsible should they (the passenger) lose the ability to behave properly while onboard.
Nate, you’re correct that neither the House nor Senate bill require cruise ship employees to have background checks. The International Cruise Victims Association suggested mandatory background checks during their testimony before Congress in 2006. The sponsors of both the House and Senate bills decided not to include the requirement.
To the best of my knowledge all the cruise lines, at least the ones with which I’m familiar, which do enter US territorial waters, and dock at US ports, do a criminal background check, and drug testing. For example, on their employment web site, RCCL states, “Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises are Equal Opportunity Employers. Employment will be subject to criminal background check, physical examinations, drug testing, and reference checks.”
I think the sponsors of the bills took this into account when they framed the legislation, and the difficulty of imposing employment regulations, on companies which hire foreign nationals at locations outside the US, even for ships which do business in US territorial waters, and at US ports.
It is not in the best interests of a cruise ship company to hire a bunch of criminals, cut-throats, drunks, or drug addicts to staff their ships. Hiring such individuals would be “bad for business.” The cruise lines do their homework on prospective employees, and I don’t believe that the cruise lines knowingly hire anyone like that.
I personally believe the employment practices of the cruise lines, with regard to background checks, drug testing, etc., are as good as in any industry. Multistate, and especially multinational background checks are extremely difficult and sometimes, even the best checks will not uncover everything about each employee.
Therefore, when my family cruises, which we do often, we consider ourselves to be in a large floating city, with all the good and bad that infers. We take the same precautions aboard a ship that we take at home, living in one of the largest cities in the US, with our belongings, and ourselves.
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