Kicked Off A Cruise For Throwing A Cigarette Overboard – Excessive?

We all know there are rules and regulations we are obliged to adhere to when cruising, after all safety is of paramount importance, but did the ‘powers that be’ overreact in this instance?

A man on a 10-day P&O cruise to Bali  was allegedly removed from a dream cruise holiday with his wife after flicking a cigarette butt into the sea.

Mark O’Keefe, 57, was travelling with wife Debra when he threw the cigarette overboard without thinking. He was asked to leave the ship and his daughter Courtney claims he was forced to make his own way home from Bali.

Speaking to an Australian newspaper Courtney said “He had maybe two drags because the weather was horrendous – he butted it out, and without thinking, he flicked it. He instantly regretting it and apologised.”

Mr O’Keefe was allegedly asked to return to his cabin and told that if he did so there would be no further repercussions. However, the next morning Courtney received a panicked call from her mother that her father had been removed from the ship.

She said: “The captain said ‘you’re off’ – no letting my dad apologise, no option of cutting him off at the bar, no giving him a fine. Nothing.”

Courtney has since complained to P&O after saying her father was left on an island where he boarded a small plane to Denpasar and was then forced to find his own way home from Bali.

P&O spokesman David Jones said “Fire safety on board the boat is of highest priority”. He added “The mandatory passenger safety muster on embarkation includes an explicit warning about the dangers associated with disposing of cigarettes over the side. This is because of the risk of the cigarette being drawn back into the ship and starting a fire.”

Mark has now returned to his home in Perth whilst his wife (still on-board the cruise ship) has refused to leave her room until the ship docks.

So where do you stand on the issue? Nothing polarises opinion quite like the subject of smoking, were P&O correct to eject Mr O’Keefe or do you feel that was a little excessive? Some would argue that assuming he docked out his cigarette before throwing it overboard he was doing nothing more than littering.

Personally I feel this has been an issue on cruise ships for quite some time, one which is very difficult to police, so I think P&O Cruises were making an example of Mr O’Keefe in the hope that others will stop doing the same for fear of being ejected also. A total ban on smoking on cruise ships would eliminate the issue altogether wouldn’t it?

I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Bye for now.