Travel Tip: What You Need to Know About Cruise Ship Crime

When there’s a tragedy on a cruise, it’s headline news. But that’s not always the case with cruise ship crime.

Cruise lines are required to report all allegations of serious crimes to the FBI.

The major cruise lines also post that data online for public viewing. But there are some limitations: they only report theft of items worth over $10,000, and assault causing serious bodily injury.

Now, with more than 22 million people cruising every year, the crime figures are very low. There’s nothing inherently dangerous about going on a cruise.

But because these ships sail internationally, the laws can be, well, murky.

Crime investigation usually becomes an FBI issue, but that might depend on where the ship is registered or its location at the time.

The real concern is how crimes are reported, investigated, and tracked.

If you are the victim of a crime, report it to onboard security and insist that the crime scene be secured until law enforcement can board the ship.

Get the complete names of everyone involved, as well as witnesses. If you’re at a foreign port, contact the nearest embassy or consulate.