Cruise Ship Lawyer Blog

A sixty year old American tourist met a tragic death a few days ago while diving off the coast of Belize. She had signed up for a diving tour when her ship, the Ryndam Cruise of Holland America Cruise Line, stopped at that port.

According to Police, she suffered a severe cut to her right leg and two smaller cuts to her face. The tourist was then rushed to a local hospital, but her injuries were to great and she died.

Cruise Lines Are Responsible for Passenger's Safety

It is not clear from the above news report whether the victim booked her shore excursion directly through the ship. If so, Holland America maybe found liable for her death. Cruise lines are responsible for the safety of their passengers, even when harm comes their way while on a shore excursion booked on the ship.

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A California woman has filed suit against Princess Cruise Lines this week because she was sexually assaulted by a crew member. The victim, M.F., says that this cruise line had a sexual predator working aboard one of it's ships. According to Ms. F., one day (during the wee hours of the night), a crew member on the "Island Princess" grabbed her, pulled her against him and forced her to a deserted part of the ship, where he proceeded to lift her skirt and touch her private parts. Subsequently, the victim managed to fend off her attacker and run away. She reported the attack to the ship's authorities and claims that the man had "a prior, similar incident" of misconduct.

Attacks and Other Crimes are Common at Cruise Ships

We take vacations to relax from our daily stressful lives. For those of us who live in large cities where crime rates are high, sexual assaults and other crimes just add to the stress. Therefore, the last thing on our minds when vacationing on a cruise ship is to be concerned about such criminal activities. Yet, as the Federal Bureau of Investigation reports, life on board a cruise ship can be as dangerous as anywhere else, plagued with crimes that range from minor theft to sexual assaults.

An agreement between the F.B.I., the U.S. Coast Guard and the Cruise Lines International Association (C.L.I.A.) sets standardized protocols for member lines to report serious incidents committed aboard cruise ships in violation of U.S. Law. According to the F.B.I., who investigates the most serious offenses, 207 reports had been received from C.L.I.A. members in less than four months, from April 1, 2007 (when the agreement was reached) to August 24 of the same year.

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