Investigation of crimes aboard cruise ships is reportedly complicated by where the ship is based, where it is sailing and the nationality of the crew and passengers.
The International Council of Cruise Lines, a cruise industry advocacy group, wants a bilateral agreement between the Bahamas and the U.S. that will allow the U.S. government to take action should an incident occur onboard a Bahamian-flagged vessel.
In fact, reports say that ICCL President Michael Crye met with officials from the Bahamas Maritime Authority (BMA) in March with the aim of securing the BMA’s aid in lobbying both governments for such an agreement.
However, representatives of the BMA in New York and Nassau knew nothing about any such meeting.
Officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Legal Division told the Journal that such a bilateral agreement does not now exist. The current law is that Bahamian authorities take action in the event that an incident occurs aboard a Bahamian-flagged vessel, wherever that vessel may be.
Investigation of crimes aboard cruise ships is reportedly complicated by where the ship is based, where it is sailing and the nationality of the crew and passengers.
The Bahamian Foreign Affairs official confirmed this, and explained that the only way U.S. authorities may now act in the event of an incident aboard a ship flying the Bahamian flag is if that ship is in U.S. waters, or at the invitation of the Bahamian authorities.
Mr. Crye also reportedly wants an agreement with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Coast Guard on how future alleged crimes aboard cruise ships are to be handled.
ICCL supposedly wants the agreement in the face of what is said to be the cruise industry’s worst season since 2003, in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks.
The Bahamas cruise business did suffer appreciably in 2005, with more than 200,000 fewer overall cruise visitors to the Bahamas, a drop of more than nine percent from 2004.
The Associated Press chalks the international cruise industry’s problems up to “a spate of high-profile problems on the high seas,” like a 2005 hurricane season which saw three of a record-shattering 27 storms with winds in excess of 155mph including Katrina, which devastated New Orleans and the Gulf Coast.
Among things that affected cruiser confidence, which is ultimately responsible for the slowing demand, were acts of piracy, such as when pirates attacked a cruise ship off Somalia.
To combat lower demand, which is the result of the malaise in cruise passenger confidence, cruise lines are offering steep discounts – “fire-sale discounts” as the AP report puts it – to lure passengers aboard.
The Caribbean, according to ICCL, is the most popular cruise destination – and where most first-time cruisers are likely to go – and as such is suffering the most from the low bookings.
ICCL reports that the recent problems have led to an inquiry by the U.S. Congress, and the increased likelihood of new legislation or regulatory oversight of the cruise industry.
By: Quincy Parker, The Bahama Journal
