In July, President Barack Obama signed the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act of 2010 into law. Designed to protect the safety of Americans aboard cruise ships, the act mandates increased safety and training procedures, provisions for crewmembers and cruise ships and implements mandatory reporting obligations for the cruise industry.
Specifically, the act aims to increase safety, security and industry accountability by:
- Requiring on-deck surveillance and emergency systems
- Requiring a 42-inch guardrails
- Requiring the installation of peep holes in passenger and crew cabin doors
- Requiring the distribution of security information, including contact information for local authorities and local American consulate/embassy for every country the cruise is to visit
- Requiring ships to carry rape kits and anti-retroviral medicine, along with an on-board crew member who is a trained forensic assault specialist
- Requiring training for crew members in crime prevention and detection and in the preservation of evidence
- Requiring a record be kept of all deaths, missing person and reports of crime
- Requiring cruise ships to report all serious crimes to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
- Requiring the FBI to provide crime statistics by cruise line on the Internet, and all cruise lines' websites must provide a link to this data
The act received the support of both the International Cruise Victims Association and the Cruise Lines International Association.
However, not everyone is in full agreement with the law. Attorney Charles Lipcon calls the act "a pretend fix" and feels the act should have provided further safety measures. Specifically, he feels that the act should have also included provisions requiring cameras in hallways, deadbolts or chain locks on cabin doors and a prohibition on serving too much alcohol to passengers.
It should be noted that the act applies to cruise ships that "carry at least 250 passengers," "has onboard sleeping facilities for each passenger," "embarks or disembarks passengers in the United States" and "is not engaged on a coastwise voyage."
If a ship is found to be in violation of the provisions of the new law, the ship could be prevented from entering the U.S. territorial waters. Civil and criminal penalties may also be assessed for violations.
If you have been injured while on a cruise, contact an experienced attorney to discuss the situation and possible legal options.
