The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a report that found that the cruise industry is complying with most of the requirements of the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act (CVSSA) of 2010.
The report was dated Dec. 20 but was made public on Jan. 13.
"We are pleased the GAO concluded that cruise lines are complying with the requirements of the CVSSA, and implementation of the law is progressing as intended," said Christine Duffy, president and CEO of the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA).
"Although allegations of serious crime on cruise ships are a small fraction of corresponding rates on land, the cruise industry voluntarily discloses allegations of serious crime to the public so consumers can see for themselves that alleged crimes on cruise ships are uncommon. To our knowledge, no other industry provides this level of transparency.
"The GAO report notes that the low rate of alleged crime on cruise ships as compared with land-based crimes can be explained in part by the fact that passengers are in a set environment, all persons and items brought on board are screened, camera surveillance is ubiquitous, and security personnel are present."
The report was originally sent to frequent cruise industry critics Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV and Rep. Doris Matsui, as well as Sen. Chairman John Thune, the ranking member of the Committee on Science, Commerce and Transportation, and Rep. Bennie Thompson, the ranking member of the Committee on Homeland Security.
The GAO report found that cruise lines are meeting 11 of 15 provisions in the CVSSA. The four missing provisions are not met because the recommended technology does not exist or requires development of regulations and policy that are underway. Three of the unmet requirements pertain to technology to detect a person going overboard and maintaining a video surveillance system to assist in documenting crimes on the vessel.
"CLIA stated that the technology exists to reliably capture images of people falling overboard through closed-circuit television, thermal imaging, and so forth. However, the technology to reliably detect persons as they are in the process of going overboard does not presently exist," the GAO report states. "CLIA believes the technology is not yet reliable in a maritime environment because of the movement of a vessel, weather and sun glare, and lens encrustation caused by saltwater, among other things."
The GAO report does note concerns about crime reporting, however. Crimes publicly reported are those cases that have been closed, not simply alleged. "While the FBI reporting of CVSSA crime data is consistent with the law, these data have some limitations.
For example, the crime data currently reported are limited in that (1) allegations for which investigations are not opened are not reported, (2) the data reported are not timely, and (3) the data reported are not put into context that would provide the public with the magnitude of crime on vessels," the report states.
It elaborates by noting "a difference between the number of reported cases and the number of closed cases" and gives an example. "There were 287 alleged CVSSA crimes reported to the FBI during this nearly four-year time period (from January 2010 through September 2013) and 81 CVSSA crimes that were published on the website as closed."
Rockefeller also responded to the report.
"The GAO report found what I have been saying all along: We must do more to protect passengers on cruise ships. While the industry has made some efforts on safety and security, passengers have limited recourse and access to incomplete information about the history of crime onboard cruise ships when things go wrong.
Consumers deserve to know how safe their cruise will be, and they need full information so they can protect themselves, which is why I introduced the 'Cruise Passenger Protection Act.' I strongly believe consumers need basic protections onboard cruise ships and action must be taken to close the gaps in crime reporting."
The GAO report also took note of safety improvements instituted after the Costa Concordia sinking on Jan. 13, 2012. "CLIA - which represents over 98 percent of cruise lines in the United States - identified 10 safety-related policies in 2012 that were adopted by all member cruise lines by July 2013. These policies include improvements to vessel passage planning and life jacket stowage, among other things.
"The International Maritime Organization (IMO) - a United Nations agency responsible for maritime matters - has also adopted a regulation, effective January 2015, requiring passengers to participate in a safety and evacuation exercise (muster drill) prior to or immediately upon departure - rather than within 24 hours of departure. CLIA-member cruise lines adopted a similar muster policy weeks after the Costa Concordia accident."
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