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The level of crime and safety on board cruise ships has come under the spotlight after a murder investigation was launched following an altercation during a mini-cruise aboard MSC Virtuosa over the early May Bank Holiday weekend.
A 57-year-old man has been arrested and bailed on suspicion of murder and a 60-year-old has been arrested and bailed on suspicion of manslaughter.
These incidents may worry future cruise passengers, but crime on a cruise is rare, and experts say it shouldn’t deter you from booking a cruise.
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A spokesperson for industry body Cruise Lines International Association, told The Independent: “Crime is extremely rare on cruise ships – and significantly lower than on land – as a result of comprehensive security measures, hiring protocols and training.
“While we recognise that even one incident is too many, our members are required to have comprehensive security measures, protocols and training, which makes cruise one of the safest holiday options in the world. Compassion is important, and, therefore, this includes responding to incidents in a caring manner by determining and providing special accommodations and support services as appropriate.”
Here is how cruise ships deal with crimes that take place on board.
How much crime is there on cruise ships?
Much of the data on cruise ship crime is based on reports to US officials.
This is because any crime on ships sailing to or from the US must be reported to the FBI.
Figures from the US Department for Transportation show there were 168 crime incidents reported to the FBI by cruise brands last year, which includes cases of assault, rape and theft.
There were 48 in the first quarter of this year.
While cruise lines take issues of crime seriously, Dr James Fox, a professor of criminology at Northeastern University in Boston, regularly studies this data and says the rate of violent crime at sea is around 95 per cent lower than an average US city.
There is no official UK data, but regular cruisers have said they feel perfectly safe on a ship.
“Despite what the headlines might suggest, cruising remains one of the safest ways to travel,” says cruise content creator Jenni Fielding, who writes the Cruise Mummy blog.
“Despite regularly booking short and cheap cruises as a solo traveller, I’ve never had a bad experience.
“Thefts on cruise ships are very rare. I often work from the on-board cafés and I would happily leave my laptop unattended while I go to the bathroom – not something I would ever do in a café on land.”
Similarly, Emma Le Teace, who runs the Emma Cruises YouTube channel and is a co-founder of Cruise Globe, said she has been cruising for more than 20 years on 76 cruises and hasn’t ever seen any violence or criminal behaviour first-hand.
She adds: “Cruise ships are generally really safe and I feel safer on ships than on land a lot of the time.”
How do cruise ships deal with crime?
There are no police on board cruise ships, but cruise lines will have security teams to deal with incidents.
There are phones on board cruise ships and, on each one, there is an emergency number shortcut, usually 911 or 999.
If an incident occurs, the security team will secure the scene, preserve evidence and interview witnesses.
Passengers involved may have their keycard blocked so they can’t enter their room or make purchases if they are required to be interviewed.
Joanne Brine, partner in the travel litigation team at JMW Solicitors, explains: “The ship’s captain has the ultimate authority to determine how to deal with an alleged crime.
“Smaller ships may have a policy that any suspected offenders are confined to their cabins, supervised by trained crew members. Larger ships may have a ‘brig’ to hold passengers, which is a secure room.”
When a crime is suspected, the captain of the ship may decide to detain passengers thought to be involved in their cabin or the ship’s brig. They may also choose to return to shore and disembark the suspected offender.
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Next there are rules to follow about who takes over.
Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), countries have jurisdiction over activities in waters within 12 nautical miles of their national coastline.
If a ship is in international waters when the crime takes place, jurisdiction usually falls to the flag nation where the ship is registered. If the vessel is sailing in a different area to the one in which they were registered, responsibility typically falls to the authorities at the next scheduled port.
How to stay safe on a cruise ship
TikTok is full of videos where cruise passengers show you how they secure their cabins with trip alarms and hidden cameras.
But Fielding suggests it isn’t worth panic-buying all these security gadgets.
She says: “Cruise ships are generally safe environments, but as with anywhere, it’s smart to take some common-sense precautions. Lock your cabin door at night, avoid leaving drinks unattended and never go into someone’s stateroom alone.
“Some solo travellers like to bring door stoppers or alarms for peace of mind. The likelihood of someone breaking into your cabin is extremely rare, and I think that these devices are unnecessary.
“When walking to my room alone, I’m always mindful of who is around in the corridor, and if I ever didn’t feel confident, I would keep walking past my door until they had gone.
“I’m aware that someone twice my size could push me inside my cabin, where there are no cameras, and I always take care not to reveal my cabin number to anyone.”
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Le Teace adds that you’re far more likely to come across issues such as fights happening on short cruises, particularly if alcohol is included.
“Weekend cruises often attract groups looking to party like stag dos, hen dos and birthday parties,” she says.
“These cruises can be great fun, but aren’t a reflection of longer cruises.
“Some cruise lines add extra security to shorter cruises, or they don’t sell unlimited drinks on cruises under a certain length.”
Nicky Kelvin, founder of The Points Guy travel website, says cruisers should maintain the same level of vigilance as they would anywhere else.
He says: “Precautions you would take in your daily life – such as protecting your belongings, supervising children, and being wary of strangers – should also apply when you are on a cruise.”
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