Safety and Security
Information from Cruise Line International Association Bulletin 2007
Cruising remains one of the safest vacations available, with an outstanding record of safety and security. When compared with the FBI's land-based crime statistics in the US, cruise passengers are safer on board a cruise ship than ashore. In a 1995 study, the US Coast Guard determined that cruising was one of the safest modes of transportation available.
- Cruise ships are comparable to secure buildings with 24-hour security. Every person on board a cruise ship, from the captain to the cleaning staff and all guests, are placed on official manifests. When sailing to or from US ports, these manifests are provided to US federal law enforcement officials prior to the ship's departure.
- All luggage and provisions coming onto our ships are screened with X-ray machines, metal detectors and human and detector dog searches. Once underway, access is strictly limited to documented employees and fare-paying passengers.
- Each passenger is issued an identification card which contains their digital photo and personal identification information on a magnetic strip that he or she must present when entering or leaving the ship. Passengers and crew may embark or disembark only after passing through security.
- Each cruise ship has a dedicated security officer and staff whose sole function is the security of its passengers and crew. Typically, security staff personnel have former law enforcement or military background and are trained according to international security regulations.
- Foreign crew members on CLIA ships are required to obtain a visa issued by the US State Department for entry into the US. This visa requires the completion of a background check. In addition, cruise ship employees are pre-screened by recruiting agencies.
- Cruise lines operate within a legal framework under which international, federal and state authorities investigate crimes on board cruise ships. The FBI has the authority to investigate and prosecute alleged crimes in international waters involving Americans.
- The US Coast Guard has jurisdiction for inspection and enforcement of international safety and security standards for all ships calling at US ports. Part of a Coast Guard inspection includes overseeing fire and abandon-ship drills conducted by the ships' crew, including a practice launch of the lifeboats.
- Passengers attend a mandatory muster station drill and all crewmembers are trained and drilled regularly in safety procedures. The cruise industry complies with all international safety standards governing the operation of cruise vessels worldwide, including the Convention of Safety of Life at Sea.
- Cruise ships regularly use local pilots, trained mariners who are most familiar with waterways surrounding a port, to safely steer the ship into and out of the area.
It is important, that whenever traveling, to be observant of one's possessions and surroundings at all times. Cruise passengers are reminded of this, as in any hotel, by safety information, daily bulletins, port visit briefings and the provision of a room safe or safety deposit box. In the event of an incident, the cruise industry takes all allegations and incidents very seriously, reports them to the proper authorities and fully cooperates in any investigation.
And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom - Anais Nin