by
MET Staff | Monday, March 31, 2014 |
Federal agencies and the
cruise industry have adopted 11 out of the 15 “Cruise Vessel Security and
Safety Act” (CVSSA) provisions; however, implementing the final four provisions
will require developing regulations and policy.
That development is underway.
Officials from all five of
the cruise lines that the GAO met with expressed that most of the required
steps were in place when the CVSSA was adopted.
According to Coast Guard officials, there is a notice of proposed
rulemaking in development to address three out of the four remaining
provisions. Those three deal with
technology to detect a person going overboard, video surveillance to help in
documenting crime on board, and warnings transmitted from the vessel to anyone
in the surrounding waters.
A policy connected to the
fourth and final provision regarding the certification of trainers providing
the CVSSA class on crime scene preservation to cruise ship employees was
already under review at the Department of Transportation as of last December.
The FBI and the Coast
Guard have implemented the crime-reporting requirements. Those agencies have a website for publishing
information and updates about reported crimes that are no longer under
investigation. The GAO, however, noted
some limitations to the usefulness of this data, including:
- The data is not timely.
- Allegations for unopened
investigations never get published.
- Data reported is not put
into context.
Some cruise ships,
however, have made an effort to better their reported crime data. A few of them have even begun to voluntarily
disclose alleged crime information on their websites. The GAO could not determine whether the
voluntary reporting or potential legislation would provide more useful data
than the current requirements.
After the Costa Concordia incident, the cruise industry, IMO, and
the Coast Guard took steps to improve passenger safety. Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA)
identified ten safety-related policies in 2012 that all member cruise lines
adopted by July, 2013. Those policies
included improvements to life jacket stowage and vessel
passage planning. The IMO also adopted
regulation – effective January 2015 – that will require passengers to attend a
safety and evacuation drill (muster drill) before or upon departure (instead of
within 24 hours).
Why did
the GAO conduct this study?
In 2011, nearly 11 million passengers took a cruise from a United
States port. Media reports about onboard
safety, combined with the increased number of people taking cruises, raised
questions about safety and security.
When the CVSSA was enacted in 2010, cruise vessels visiting United
States ports were required to comply with certain safety and security measures,
and the GAO was asked to review cruise ship safety and security issues related
to keeping all passengers safe from crime.
What did
the GAO look at?
The
GAO reviewed:
- The extent to which the industry and
federal agencies have enacted the CVSSA.
- Actions taken after the Costa
Concordia incident to improve safety of cruise vessels visiting United States
ports.
- CVSSA and related industry and
agency documents.
The
GAO interviewed officials from:
- Coast Guard
- FBI
- CLIA
- Five cruise lines, which accounted
for more than 80 percent of cruise vessel passengers in North America in 2012
- Two crime victim advocacy groups
The
GAO does not make any recommendations in this report.