Thankfully, the majority of us enjoy a crime and trouble free holiday whilst on board our cruise ship. Worryingly however, there seems to be an increase in reports of thefts, sexual assault and other crimes on board these floating cities.
Has this always been the case? or do the cruise lines police themselves to limit the damage the adverse publicity may cause to their brand image?
Who does a passenger turn to when an incident occurs, there are no emergency services on hand to call. So what happens? After asking this question on the Internet I was shocked to find how complicated this whole subject is. There are so called ” Flags Of Convenience” , this governs the Laws a ship adheres to, do any of us check where our cruise ship is registered? even if we did know, would we know the Laws that protect us? Territorial Waters? What exactly does this mean? Who knows where the boundary is? Are there signposts on the high seas?
There are a few things that the majority of maritime Law specialists and agencies agree on though – Firstly, Maritime Law is an extremely complex area of the law, different countries have different interpretations of these laws. Secondly, there needs to be a system in place that is easy to follow and adhere to. Also, cruise lines need to be more open with their reporting and investigations.
Cruise ships should be a safe haven for passengers. They are like floating towns, rules should be in place to protect the majority not the minority.
Have you ever witnessed an incident or been a victim yourself?
