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Thursday, April 13, 2006

Some cruise line advocates don't like international law

Reported as Advocates Want U.S. To Take Action In Event Of Incident On Bahamas-Registered Vessels:
Investigation of crimes aboard cruise ships is reportedly complicated by where the ship is based, where it is sailing and the nationality of the crew and passengers.
The International Council of Cruise Lines, a cruise industry advocacy group, wants a bilateral agreement between the Bahamas and the U.S. that will allow the U.S. government to take action should an incident occur onboard a Bahamian-flagged vessel.

In fact, reports say that ICCL President Michael Crye met with officials from the Bahamas Maritime Authority (BMA) in March with the aim of securing the BMA’s aid in lobbying both governments for such an agreement.

However, representatives of the BMA in New York and Nassau knew nothing about any such meeting.

Officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Legal Division told the Journal that such a bilateral agreement does not now exist. The current law is that Bahamian authorities take action in the event that an incident occurs aboard a Bahamian-flagged vessel, wherever that vessel may be.

Investigation of crimes aboard cruise ships is reportedly complicated by where the ship is based, where it is sailing and the nationality of the crew and passengers.

The Bahamian Foreign Affairs official confirmed this, and explained that the only way U.S. authorities may now act in the event of an incident aboard a ship flying the Bahamian flag is if that ship is in U.S. waters, or at the invitation of the Bahamian authorities.

Mr. Crye also reportedly wants an agreement with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Coast Guard on how future alleged crimes aboard cruise ships are to be handled.

ICCL supposedly wants the agreement in the face of what is said to be the cruise industry’s worst season since 2003, in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks.
Let's see, their position seems to be: "We want to avoid US law by being Bahama-registered, but we want the US law enforcement when we need it." Lovely logic...

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