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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.

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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, July 20, 2007

Safety-Minded Cruise Company Takes Action to Protect Endangered Child

fosters.com
Dover New Hampshire 7/11/2007
When a woman appeared to be stumbling and had dropped her 2-year-old son while boarding the Portsmouth Harbor Cruises ship Heritage on Friday, staff on the Heritage kept a watchful eye on her and then called police when the boat returned to the dock. Police arrested Holly Spreen, 34, of 26H Piscassic St. in Newmarket for allegedly endangering her child while having a blood-alcohol level of 0.49 — more than six times the legal limit of 0.08 to operate a motor vehicle. Cole, co-owner of Portsmouth Harbor Cruises, was not on board during this incident but heard from his captain that Spreen had dropped the child in the small gap between the boat and the dock when boarding the vessel at about noon. The boy was not injured when his leg went into the gap. Ship officials said Spreen did not seem to be aware of her surroundings. Cole said that the ship is held to the same rules and regulations as any other bar in New Hampshire as it has a state liquor license. "If a customer were to come up that were visibly impaired and ask for a drink, we would refuse them," he said.

Thursday, July 19, 2007

Man Overbaord Mysterious Disappearance: Did Carnival Cruise Lines Do the Right thing?

cruisejunkie.com
89 people have gone overboard on since the year 2000.
A 56-year-old man went missing from the Mexican Riviera cruise, July 1-8 (port calls at Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, and Cabo San Lucas). He was apparently last seen by his cabin mate at 1AM on July 4. His body was found off Puerto Vallarta on July 10. The FBI was notified and is investigating. The incident was made public July 16 after family members contacted Cruise Bruise, who said, "there was no sea search done by the ship. This passenger was missing for 5 days before the body was found. While the USCG was notified, we find no record of a USCG search being performed. In addition, because there was no public press release on this incident, the public including the boating public had no idea there was a man in the water. Given, there was a man missing, presumed overboard, it should have been automatic to post the press release publicly. The fact that it was not posted immediately, losing potential assistance in the search for Mr. Klingele, leads to further speculation." Carnival Cruise Lines says it is not normal practice for it to disclose such events to media unless specifically asked by a media source.
losgatosobserver.com
Kevin Klingele vanishes from cruise ship

Sunday, July 15, 2007

Carnival Cruise Lines Chooses Profits over Passenger Safety: "I'll Never Go on a Cruise Again"

Sunday Star Times, 7/16/07
Carnival's Subsidiary P&O Australia Cruise Lines makes decision to put passengers at risk rather than loose money by cancelling or re-routing P&O Pacific Star. When customers were shown to their rooms, boards were lined up along the corridor, and were soon put up to cover each cabin window. Hundreds of Kiwi holidaymakers suffered a horrendous night at sea on Tuesday as hurricane-force winds battered their cruise ship off the North Island's north coast. Passengers, including many schoolchildren on holiday, were exposed to 12 hours of extreme weather.

Captain Ivan Jerman said the hurricane-force winds, which averaged 75 knots gusting to 90 knots, and 9m swells were the worst conditions he had sailed in during his 35-year career at sea.
The Pacific Star suffered considerable damage, including broken windows, damage to the bow and the loss of a satellite dish overboard.
One passenger, Joy Meekings, from Whangaparaoa, said she would never go on a cruise again. Already anxious about sailing, Meekings said the appalling weather forecast heightened her concerns as she boarded the ship in Auckland on Tuesday.

Saturday, July 14, 2007

Nine Cruise Ship Workers Test Positive For TB

MAYPORT, Fla. -- After a former employee of SunCruz Casino tested positive for tuberculosis, the Florida Department of Health tested all of the cruise line's local employees for the disease and found eight tested positive. Channel 4 learned that an employee who worked for SunCruz two months ago was hospitalized with an active case of tuberculosis. While that person's family tested negative for the disease, health officials decided to test 126 other employees of the cruise line. Skin tests found eight more people appeared to be infected with the tuberculosis germ

Friday, July 13, 2007

Elderly Man Beaten With Cane on Cruise Ship

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19736163/
July 12, 2007
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Police are searching for a man who attacked a 93-year-old man on a gambling cruise ship. Jim Yu's family said the elderly man was attacked in a bathroom on a Sun Cruz Casino, and beaten so badly he ended up in a hospital.
Investigators said it appeared as if Yu was not only targeted because of his age, but also because of his winnings. The elderly man had about $1,500 in cash in his wallet. Is It Time to Have Independent Law Enforcement Staff on all Cruise Ships: http://projectsafecruise.blogspot.com/

Thursday, July 12, 2007

Carnival Cruise Line Employee Missing and Possibly Kidnapped

http://www.cruisebruise.com/Domenico_Miuccio.html
Domenico was working onboard Carnival Imagination and was enroute to Grand Cayman on a five-day cruise out of Miami. He didn't show up for work on Tuesday June 20, 2006, having last been seen on Monday June 19, 2006. His son has come to Cruise Bruise asking for help. The family has been told nothing, and no body has been found. Because of the high incident of illegal drugs being run between Miami and the Caribbean, it is possible that Domenico saw something he shouldn't and the disappearance is related to that. If you have information regarding this case, please contact the FBI.

Wednesday, July 04, 2007

Risk of Terrorist Attacks on Cruise Ships in Caribbean Identified in New US Government Report

We were on the Carnival Destiny near Aruba when an elderly couple disappeared without a trace in early 2005. Investigations by authorities were delayed and incomplete. While on our Caribbean cruise, we were shocked by comments by the locals that crime was on the increase on all of the islands due to organized crime activity and the use of the Caribbean as a half way point for drug traffickers from South America and elsewhere. Local law enforcement was poorly trained, understaffed, and ill-equipped to handle the growing security threats. This added to the fact that there are no independent, trained, and experienced law enforcement on cruise ships creates a dangerous situation. A report just released by the Government Accounting Office validates our initial concerns. 87 individuals have fallen overboard since the year 2000 and most cases go unsolved; no thanks to the incomplete security provided by the cruise lines. http://www.cruisejunkie.com/Overboard.html Last year was the worst with 22 and there have been 11 so far this year. Because of pressure from the families of victims and groups like http://www.internationalcruisevictims.org/ cruise lines have made limited changes to safety procedures and a few ships reacted quick enough to actually save victims. Congress has held several hearings but have taken no real action except to witness a last minute voluntary agreement with the cruise lines. Congressman Elijah E. Cummings, Maryland, Chairman Says the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Will Give Cruise Lines Six Months or until from September 27, 2007 to Work Voluntarily with Coast Guard & FBI and Then Hold More Hearings. http://transportation.house.gov/hearings/hearingdetail.aspx?NewsID=112 See the COUNTDOWN CLOCK in the left hand column.
Project Safe Cruise will consist of a one week cruise in 2007 that will showcase the type of security and safety system that could be put in place by cruise lines to insure the safety and security of all passengers and crew and at the same time preserve evidence of crimes and/or accidents. On this Maiden Voyage we hope to offer short entertaining seminars and panel discussions by various security experts and perhaps some celebrities, on missing persons, identity theft, date rape, kidnapping, teenage and young child safety, security, and general health and safety issues while in other countries or at sea, investment scams for seniors, how to buy art work, etc. We must focus on a positive solution that will benefit all parties involved and prevent future tragedies. With the help of former FBI and NYPD law enforcement experts, we ask you to do this as a way of honoring the 87 people who have gone overboard since the year 2000. Most of whom are presumed dead. http://www.projectsafecruise.blogspot.com/ offers a possible solution.

http://www.caribbeanpressreleases.com/articles/1992/1/US-Governmetnt-Report-on-Port-Security-in-the-Caribbean/Some-concerns-about-port-security-in-Caribbean.html

Caribbean ports contain a variety of facilities such as cargo facilities, cruise ship terminals, and facilities that handle petroleum products and liquefied natural gas. Additionally, several Caribbean ports are among the top cruise ship destinations in the world. Given the volume and value of this maritime trade, the facilities and infrastructure of the maritime transportation system may be attractive targets for a terrorist attack.
Our prior work on maritime security issues has revealed that the three most likely modes of attack in the port environment are a suicide attack using an explosive-laden vehicle or vessel, a standoff attack using small arms or rockets, and the traditional armed assault. Beyond the types of facilities and modes of attack to be considered, officials we spoke to identified a number of overarching security concerns that relate to the Caribbean Basin as a whole.
Among these concerns are (1) the level of corruption that exists in some Caribbean nations to undermine the rule of law in these countries, (2) organized gang activity occurring in proximity to or within port facilities, and (3) the geographic proximity of many Caribbean countries, which has made them transit countries for cocaine and heroin destined for U.S. markets. Other security concerns in the Caribbean Basin mentioned by U.S. agency officials include stowaways, illegal migration, and the growing influence of Islamic radical groups and other foreign terrorist organizations.


http://www.gao.gov/docsearch/abstract.php?rptno=GAO-07-804R

According to cruisebruise.com
"U.S. Virgin Islands are an Easy Terror Target: Cruise Ship Passengers At High Risk of Major Event"
In a document titled, Towards a Homeland Security Strategy for the United States Virgin Islands: The Terrorism and Natural Disasters Planning Group, Martin J Alperen says, "The Virgin Islands (VI) is underprepared for major natural disasters and terrorism. Many emergency plans are incomplete, based on inaccurate information, wrongly optimistic, and assume an infrastructure that does not exist. The VI is at risk for a direct terrorist attack and also is subject to secondary consequences that could result from a stateside attack because virtually 100 percent of its food, fuel, medicine, oil to make electricity and potable water, and tourists -- the economy's lifeblood -- are imported. Other factors to be considered are as follows: (1) geographically, help is not readily available from any neighboring city or state; (2) the VI's first responders are likely to be affected by the same disaster they are responding to and will be unable to assist; (3) the VI must assume more of the emergency preparedness functions that would typically be shared between neighboring communities; (4) the VI must have more funding than similar communities on the mainland; and (5) preparedness planning must include the importing of mainland resources." He concludes, "The political system, law enforcement, and other infrastructure in the US Virgin Islands is dysfunctional at best and this prohibits meaningful law enforcement, homeland security, preparedness and response."

Virus outbreaks on cuise ships are an ongoing problem:
http://www.cruise-bruise.com/cruise_epidemics.html
According to the USCDC there are five (5) ships each week with reports of Norovirus onboard. That comes out to 260 ships a year. This rate is for 2006, and may be less or more in other years. In looking at the list of outbreaks for 2006, you will see, there are not 260 reports by ships of Norovirus. There are 36. Ships may have cases for many cruises, before the percentage of infected reaches a CDC reportable level.

Security is also lacking for victims of sexual predators:

I have since learned that there have been no convictions for rape cases on cruise lines in four decades... Cruise industry executives testified last year before the House Government Reform Committee that 66 cases of sexual assault were reported from Royal Caribbean between 2003 and 2005. However, as a result of a civil lawsuit, Royal Caribbean was forced to turn over internal documents that showed that these numbers were actually much higher. Specifically, such cases had actually occurred 273 times over the three-year period in question. I have also come to learn that many of the crimes that were not reported involved minors. It seems impossible that Royal Caribbean would not consider these crimes worthy of reporting.

FORTY YEARS AND NO CONVICTONS

-Opening remarks of Congresswoman Doris O. Matsui on March 27, 2007 at the hearing that Exposed Cruise Industry’s Lax Responses to Crimes Committed Onboard its Shipshttp://matsui.house.gov/Newsroom.asp?ARTICLE2939=7897

Perfect Record: Not One Single Conviction for Sexual Assaults on Cruise Ships in Four Decades

The inadequate security and safety practices still used by Cruise Lines have not even been able to put ONE sexual predator behind bars. Now what kind of luck will they have blocking attacks by terrorists and suicide bombers?

In addtion many of the crewmembers on cruise ships are from poor third world countries where terrorist groups exist. It is doubtful that the cruise lines spend enough money to obtain reliable background checks. Many of the crew has access to millions of paper and computer records containing highly personal data on passengers such as Social Security and credit card numbers, addresses, photos, possible face scans, etc. Wouldn't terrorists like to get their hands on that. Think of the damage that could be done.


Safe Cruise: Are the Privacy and Security of Millions of American Cruise Vacation Customers at Risk?

Tuesday, July 03, 2007

Tipsy Teacher rescued after plummeting 40 feet from a cruise ship into the Atlantic Ocean

http://www.miamiherald.com/460/story/158771.html
Scott Durbin, who was cruising aboard the Carnival Liberty with three of his buddies, stumbled out of the casino -- and into a lifeboat attached to the side of the ship, authorities said. When a security guard showed up and told him to get out, Durbin apparently took the order too literally. He plunged into the Atlantic, prompting an hourlong rescue effort. The incident marked the second time in four months that a passenger jumped off a Carnival cruise ship in South Florida waters.

Monday, July 02, 2007

Party Attack Victim Jumps Off Cruise Ship, Dies

click2houston.com

HOUSTON -- A teenager who was beaten and sodomized at a party died Sunday after he jumped from a cruise ship into the Gulf of Mexico, KPRC Local 2 reported.
Officials said David Ritcheson, 18, jumped from aboard the Ecstasy, a 70,000-ton cruise ship that sailed out of Galveston on Saturday for a five-day round-trip cruise to Cozumel, Mexico.

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