.comment-link {margin-left:.6em;}

Safe Cruise

Project Safe Cruise Press Release: See www.projectsafecruise.blogspot.com & details below. Leave a message if you have experienced incidents involving poor security & safety practices of cruise lines. Hearings are scheduled; we will provide them to Congress. We must act to insure passenger safety. The current lack of safety & security is not acceptable especially after 9/11. On 5/12/05, we were on the Carnival Destiny near Aruba when an elderly couple disappeared without a trace.

My Photo
Name:
Location: Michigan, United States

Government could save $50 billion per year by having two shifts of white collar employees work each day. Office space costs $50,000/year for each employee yet we only use space 30% of time. We can no longer afford to have banker's hours for all. With over 2 million federal employees this cost-free paradigm change could avoid lay offs/furloughs and reduce pollution. See new plan at http://whitecollargreenspace.blogspot.com/

Friday, April 07, 2006

International Cruise Victims Organization Submits Recommendations to Congress for Changes to the Cruise Industry

Several members of the International Cruise Victims (ICV) organization testified in a Congressional hearing on March 7, 2006. At the hearing, ICV submitted an excellent list of recommendations to the subcommittee of changes needed to improve safety and security aboard cruise ships, including changes that would hold cruise companies accountable for crimes and tragedies that occur on their ships. They can be viewed at INCREASING SECURITY & PASSENGER SAFETY

I suggest that the list should also include protections for the safety, security, and civil rights of all crewmembers. Unless crime and safety records of all cruise line employees are maintained and monitored, we will never be able to to improve conditions for passengers. We have no idea about the amount of crime, death, and disappearances that have occurred involving crewmembers.
5 Cruise Ship Employees Die under Suspicious Circumstances in Last 4 Weeks

I also believe that we should ask Congress to have the FBI or other agency investigate the fact thath the cruise lines have hampered investigations to the point of destroying evidence, preventing the timely testimony of crewmembers, and cantaminating crime scenes. If appropriate, the cruise companies should be charged and prosecuted to the full extent of the law for aiding and abetting criminals and obstruction of justice.

While on a cruise vacation, American citizens have a right to have an independent, experienced, trained law enforcement person on each ship that they can immediately report crimes and safety problems. What works good on land should work well on the water. These "sea marshals" should
  • Take reports of safety incidents as well as criminal activity. Some deaths and disappearances might be the result of lax or unenforced safety procedures.
  • Maintain database of incidents and provide some analysis of current procedures and conduct of parties involved and recommend improvements for all.
  • Develop a "Neighborhood Watch" or "Guardian Angel" type system that could include frequent customers, crewmembers, contract employees, travel agents, etc.
  • Create an "Amber Alert" type system to help find missing passengers.
  • Provide ongoing security and safety training to passengers, crew, travel agents, and organizers including shore excursion groups. This could include short entertaining presentations geared for different age groups covering subjects such as assault, identity theft, date rape, kidnapping, teenage and young child safety, security, safety, and health issues while in other countries or at sea, and threats for seniors.

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home

h2 class="sidebar-title">Links