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Government Moves One Step Closer to Cruise Ship Safety Legislation

Cruises, Terrorism — on October 26, 2009 1:38 pm

Cruise ships dockedIn the wake of several highly publicized incidents involving missing passengers, sexual assault, and contagious noroviruses, the House has passed a new cruise safety bill that would introduce more preventative measures while changing the way onboard crimes are handled and reported.

Because most cruise ships are registered in foreign countries, companies have long had free reign from federal interference–most notably they have not had to report onboard crimes and illnesses to U.S. authorities. The Cruise Vessel Safety and Security Act of 2009 aims to reel them in.

Keep reading to find out exactly what the proposed legislation would change …

The bill would introduce a number of preventative safety measures. It would require ships to install peep holes and safety latches on all cabin doors, as well as mandate the use of time-sensitive key cards throughout the ship. It would also set a standard minimum height for side railings to prevent passengers from falling overboard.

Learn more with 3 Passengers Fall Off Carnival Cruise Ships in 3 Weeks.

In response to cases of stomach viruses sweeping through some ships, the bill would require ships to retain U.S. doctors on each vessel.

Carnival cruise shipThe bill would also help recent victims by changing the way ships manage incidents that occur onboard. It would require ships to employ at least one crew member who is formally trained in crime scene investigation and evidence preservation.

It would then mandate that the ship’s personnel report homicides, assaults or missing persons to the FBI as soon as they occur, even in international waters. The bill would also require all crime details and statistics to be made readily available to the public on a Web site run by the U.S. Coast Guard.

Representative Doris Matsui (D-CA) introduced the bill in 2006 after one of her constituents was sexually assaulted by a ship employee while on a cruise.

Learn more: Princess Cruises Crew Member Accused of Sexual Assault

Since then, the bill has gone through a number of revisions and is now supported by Cruise Lines International Association, the industry’s leading lobby and marketing group.

The proposed legislation now awaits a vote by the Senate.

By Dan Bence for PeterGreenberg.com.

Related Links: Travel Weekly, Los Angeles Times,

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  • Anonymous

    The requirement is NOT for a U.S. Doctor, but for a doctor that meets the requirements for an Emergency Doctor, as per the rules used in the U.S. The doctor could be Canadian, British, Russian, German, or whatever, as long as the doctor is properly qualified.

  • http://twitter.com/cruisemates Paul Motter

    Yeah, this story is a little short on details, unfortunately. The railing height is 42 inches so nothing changed there. Thre crimes that must be reported online are major crimes including theft over $10,000 and that the FBI (who has jurisdiction for every crime on cruise ships) is no longer investigating. There are better interpretations of this bill by people who have been following it. ;-)