Crime at Sea: A Comparison of Crime on Carnival Cruise Lines, 2007–2011

Abstract

Crime on cruise ships has received attention through hearings by the U.S. Congress at least eight times in the past 10 years, leading in part to passage of the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act of 2010 and subsequent amendments in 2014. This chapter looks at three types of crime reported to the FBI by Carnival Cruise Lines in 2011 (data for other cruise lines was not yet available), and compares these findings with three types of crime reported to the FBI by Carnival Cruise Lines in 2007–2008. Before exploring the data, it first looks at the context—the succession of hearings before the U.S. Congress and the nature of the problem from the cruise industry’s perspective versus on the basis of data the industry provided. The data reveals that incidents of physical assault and of theft are lower than on land, however the rate of theft suggests increased caution is warranted by passengers. The data also reveals that the rate of sex related incidents (particularly sexual assaults) on Carnival Cruise Lines ships is greater than on land, and that the rate has not appreciably changed in comparison to 2007–2008; however, in the most recent period there is a greater proportion of sexual assaults involving minors (children under the age of 18). The chapter concludes with recommendations to cruise lines and to passengers.