Wouldn’t another route onto the ship be by joining the crew? What kind of background checks are run on cruise employees when hired?
The first Call of Duty had a level on the German battleship Tirpitz and Counter Strike had a level about a hostage situation on an airplane, so you get to work on the movie and I’ll get to work on the video game spin off!
The law of the country the vessel is flagged is applied and courts of the same have jurisdiction for crimes on board in international waters and home nation has jurisdiction if within territorial waters.
To answer one of the questions posed above, it was a Princess ship, which like most cruise ships has an international crew including the Gurkha guards. They weren’t really incognito, they were the official ships’ security guards. Even if you didn’t know they were Gurkha, they tended to radiate an air of cool competency. People just tended to behave themselves when the ships’ guards were around.
Besides checking luggage, passengers’ IDs on and off the ships, etc. they also were in charge of securing all of the properties of the ships, and policing the crew as well. Most ships, in addition to all of the valuables carried by passengers, usually carry a good amount of cash and the stores onboard carry fine jewelry.
There is definitely a call for policing both of unruly passengers (done with a very polite but firm hand) and of the crew (done less politely), and it was usually done by the Purser’s staff backed up by the security guards. Most of the bigger ships have both a ship’s jail and a ship’s morgue in the ‘unseen’ areas belowdecks.
Tim
The FBI on cruise line security, as of 2007: FBI — Cruise Ship Crime and Security
A maritime lawyer critical of current cruise line security measures: Cruise Industry Accountability Back in the Spotlight: U.S. House and Senate to Hold Hearings on Cruise Ship Safety | Cruise Law News
RAINN’s views, and tips on safety: Crime on Cruise Ships | RAINN
Seems to me like terrorists would have a big problem with crowd control if they tried to hijack a cruise ship.
Even ignoring the actual security forces, there are thousands of people on cruise ships, and most of them are no longer inclined to go along with terrorists since 9/11. Yes, I realize you can’t easily crash a cruise ship into a building, but I can’t think of a good reason for terrorists to attack my cruise ship besides making a huge spectacle by killing a bunch of people, so I wouldn’t be inclined to cooperate. Even with 100 terrorists, which is an absurdly large number for one attack, are each of them going to be able to control 20+ passengers, including rooting them out from hundreds of tiny rooms and cramped passageways?
Yea and Verily! Also the Coast Guard should pop a cap in the hull of the smuggler’s boat. Just for warning, of course!
No, I think he launched into a long-winded re-telling of a dream he had last night.
mmm
Hey! My dreams are interesting!
I’m going with the drill thing.
-D/a