The U.S. Coast Guard is proposing new security regulations for cruise ships that focus on man-overboard detection systems, security cameras, response to sexual assault claims, and crime scene preservation.
The proposed regulations build upon the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act (CVSSA) of 2010 and were published in the Federal Register on Jan. 16. Public comment is welcome here until April 16.
The CVSSA required ships to install technology that either detects someone going overboard or captures images of them "to the extent such technology is available." The Cruise Lines International Association previously responded that fall-overboard detection systems are not yet reliable under marine conditions, although image capture technology is.
Therefore, the Coast Guard is proposing regulations that require a ship to "maintain a fall-overboard image capture system, or a fall-overboard detection system, or some combination of both."
Whatever the system, it should record the incident's date and time to assist search-and-rescue or law enforcement personnel. That data would be kept for 14 days after disembarkation and an additional 120 days in case of a report of someone going overboard.
The CVSSA also requires ships to maintain a video surveillance system to help document crimes and provide law enforcement with copies of video records. The proposed updated regulations specify that the surveillance system must cover any areas of the vessel to which passengers or crew members have common access, excluding passenger staterooms and crew cabins. The surveillance system must make identifiable time and date-stamped images of persons who may be involved in alleged crimes and also must be maintained in a secure location with limited access to prevent tampering.
The Coast Guard also proposes requiring training for crew members who interview alleged sexual assault victims on how to "communicate appropriately" with them.
"Each of the cruise line officials we met with told us that their vessels already were in compliance with most CVSSA provisions including having peepholes in stateroom doors, using certified medical personnel for sexual assault exams, and carrying rape kits onboard," the Coast Guard wrote.
CVSSA also requires crew training on how to preserve a crime scene so it can be properly investigated by law enforcement personnel. The proposed regulations go further, by making crime scene training certification mandatory and requiring refresher courses at least once every two years.
The proposed regulations also clarify which cruise ships must meet the requirements. They would apply to foreign and U.S. ships that embark or disembark passengers in the U.S. but not those that simply stop for a port call.
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