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The Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act of 2010 Becomes Law

On July 28, 2010, President Obama signed the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act of 2010 into law. The purpose of the law is to provide increased safety and security to American cruise-ship passengers. The law addresses safety in three ways that have long been pushed for by people hurt on cruise ships, their families, and their New Jersey and New York maritime injury lawyers. Specifically, the law mandates changes to cruise ship infrastructure, training of cruise ship personnel, and mandatory reporting of certain events to the FBI and Coast Guard.

Changes to Cruise Ship Infrastructure

Beginning in 2012, cruise ships will be required to have:
  • forty-two-inch guardrails on open deckspeep holes in the doors of all passenger and crew cabins
  • on-deck video surveillance systems
  • emergency sound systems

Training of Cruise Ship Personnel

Additionally, the U.S. Secretary of Transportation and the FBI will create a program to train crew members on how to prevent crimes, how to preserve evidence if a crime is committed, and how to report crimes that are committed. Additionally, cruise ships will be required to have rape kits, medication to prevent STDs, and a trained forensic sexual-assault specialist on board.

Mandatory Reporting to the FBI and Coast Guard

Cruise ships will be required to maintain logs to record all deaths, missing persons, and alleged crimes such as sexual assaults. This information will be reported to the FBI or the Coast Guard as appropriate. Information about types of crimes will also be made available on a web site that people will be able to access by ship and cruise line.

The law will apply to ships that can carry more than 250 passengers, have overnight accommodations, and use U.S. ports. Any ship in violation of the Act can be banned from U.S. ports.

If you have been hurt or lost a loved one in a cruise ship crime or accident, then you may be entitled to damages. Contact a New York or New Jersey maritime accident attorney for more information about your rights.

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