America is getting tough about crime on the high seas. Last week, a bill that requires cruise ships to tighten security and report crimes was passed in the Senate after Congress voted 416-4 in favor. It now needs only the signature of President Obama to become law.
When something like this is public, the first reaction is that it’s in response to a growing problem, and the second is that the industry — whatever industry it is — is being regulated.
What’s important to know about the situation is this:
• The bill was drafted in consultation with the cruise-ship industry
• It applies to all ships that dock at U.S. ports
• Many of the bill’s requirements are already in place on cruise ships
• Cruise lines endorse anything that makes passengers safer, because the fallout from negative incidents is more damaging than having to comply
• Numbers of crimes should always be taken in proper context…i.e., compared to crimes in other venues.
Once the bill passes, ships must have peepholes on doors, victim information packets, rails at least 42 inches high and, for new ships, security latched and time-sensitive key technology.
Cruise-ship officials must report all incidents to the FBI or the Coast Guard, even if the incident took place at sea, and must log all incidents and report a homicide, kidnapping, assault or disappearance of a U.S. national to the FBI as soon as possible. They must also carry rape kits and appropriate medication, and provide passengers confidential access to 24-hour sexual assault lines.
It’s called the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act, and the only real question about it is this one: Why did four members of Congress vote against it?