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A small (178 foot) expedition cruise ship sailing in Glacier Bay National Park caught on fire yesterday morning. The engine room fire required the Wilderness Discoverer to evacuate fifty-one guests and sixteen crew members.

UnCruise Adventures, which operates the ship, said there were no injuries from the fire.

The U.S. Coast Guard in Juneau received a call at 7:30 am from crew members aboard the expedition ship about the fire.

The Sapphire Princess, owned by Carnival Corporation and operated by Princess Cruises, ferried passengers from the Wilderness Discoverer using excursion craft.

UnCruise Adventures, which operates the expedition ship, did not disclose any information regarding the cause of the fire.

Have a comment or question? Please leave one below or join the discussion on our Facebook page.

June 7, 2023 Update:

The Adirondack Daily Enterprise has an interesting article about the fire. This newspaper reports that the expedition vessel was unable to report the fire to the Coast Guard via radio due to the fact that the fire left the vessel adrift without electricity or communication. The Wilderness Adventurer had to communicate with the Coast Guard through the Sapphire Princess, which sent a single life boat to transfer the passengers and crew from the Wilderness Adventurer to the Princess cruise ship.

One passenger on the expedition vessel “said he saw an oil boom deployed at the base of the ship and suspected the fire might have been caused by a fuel leak. He’s in the fuel business, so he recognized the floating white line in the water as a boom to soak up any potential oil.

UnCruise and the Coast Guard reported on Monday that there were “currently no discernible environmental impacts within the affected area.”

Sapphire Princess had to depart the scene departing around 3:15 p.m. after being relieved of her duties by the Coast Guard. The Sapphire Princess was continuing north, so evacuated passengers boarded another boat, the Baranof Wind, which took them south to port.

A passenger who transferred from the expedition ship to the Baranof Wind was required to be medevaced via a National Park Service helicopter that had been circling the ships. The passenger was then transferred to a hospital.

Image credit: Top – Susie Posson via CNN; middle – U.S. Coast Guard photo via Anchorage Daily News; bottom – Dan Reilly via Adirondack Daily Enterprise .

The Celebrity Summit is the latest cruise ship to experience a gastrointestinal outbreak requiring the involvement of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) this year. The Celebrity operated cruise ship reported 152 of 2,144 (7.09%) passengers and 25 of 963 (2.60%) crew members experienced gastrointestinal (GI) illnesses . A total of 177 people were sickened on the May 15–May 25, 2023 cruise and experienced symptoms which included diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, and headaches.

This is the twelfth GI outbreak so far this year, which exceeds the average number of yearly GI outbreaks on cruise ships for the three year period before the industry was sidelined by the coronavirus epidemic. Of course, it is only six months into this year, making the total number of illness cases to be approximately twice the average yearly total of GI cases on cruise ships.

The Washington Post covered this story two week ago in Stomach Viruses Are Back Up On Cruise Ships, With Hundreds Falling Ill by Hannah B. Sampson (formerly one of the better reporters who worked for the Miami Herald before joining the Washington Post). The Post reports that “… so far this year there have been 12 outbreaks of vomiting and diarrhea that have reached the threshold for public notification on cruise ships visiting U.S. ports. The tally has already exceeded each yearly total number of outbreaks reported from 2017 to 2019.”

The cruise industry’s trade association, the Cruise Lines International Association (“CLIA”), says incidents of gastrointestinal illness are “quite rare” on ships. Cruise lines typically say the symptoms are often mild and resolve quickly. Another talking point of CLIA is the argument that GI outbreaks are always caused by guests failing to wash their hands.

The CDC has determined that the cause of the recent GI outbreak on the Celebrity ship was due to norovirus. Despite what CLIA says, the fact of the matter is that both the CDC and the Federal Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) concluded long ago that contaminated food and/or water are the main explanations for norovirus outbreaks.

Recent federal studies show that sick employees were behind a majority of food contamination and foodborne illness outbreaks in the U.S. The CDC found that among outbreaks where a contributing factor was identified, 41% were caused by food contamination from ill or infectious employees.

“If a food worker stays on the job while sick and does not wash his or her hands carefully after using the toilet, the food worker can spread germs by touching food,” according to the CDC’s website. Norovirus is the leading cause of foodborne illness in the United States.

The CDC report concluded that only around 43% of businesses provided paid sick leave to sick workers, resulting in many employees working while contagious.

In the cruise line context, many waiters and food handlers, who are paid almost exclusively by tips, are often reluctant to go to the ship infirmary when they are ill. No cruise line, to our knowledge, provides paid sick leave to their crew members. Unfortunately, there’s an incentive to work while sick on a cruise ship in order to be paid.

The CDC rarely has enough time to collect stool samples or other data or conduct much of an investigation when cruise ships return after a GI outbreak, and then quickly pick up another round of passengers and leave port. The CDC usually does not even determine the cause of the outbreak in most cases. Of the last twelve illness outbreaks on cruise ships, the CDC was able to conclude the causative agents in only five cases (all involved norovirus).

Expect CLIA and the cruise lines to downplay the foodborne illness explanation for this norovirus outbreak and to encourage cruise fans to think that its actually their unwashed hands which are to blame.

Have a thought? Please leave one below or join the discussion on our Facebook page.

Top: Celebrity Summit – Master0Garfield – commons / wikimedia; Washington Post; Washington Post; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Federal Bureau of Investigations (“FBI”) arrested a cruise passenger last week on charges of abusive sexual contact with a young girl on a cruise ship, according to documents filed in federal court for the Southern District of Florida.

The FBI arrested 47 year-old Justin Dale Sigmon on the Carnival Sunshine when the cruise ship returned to port.

According to the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office’s website, Sigmon was an employee of the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office at the time of the arrest. On June 2nd, Sigmon resigned from his job at the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office where he worked as a captain.

Sigmon was traveling with his family when another passenger videotaped him “molesting a (nine year-old) girl,” according to local Virginia news station WDBJ7. At the time of the incident, Sigmon was with his family in the dining room of the Carnival Sunshine cruise ship waiting for dinner to be served. The arresting FBI agent’s affidavit indicates that another passenger observed Sigmon molesting the girl who was sitting on his lap. The court file indicates the child is his daughter.  

The video reportedly shows Sigmon rubbing his daughter’s “upper and inner thighs underneath the skirt of her dress towards her vagina and buttocks.” During several points, the minor pushed Sigmon’s hand away. “Immediately after the child got off of his lap, Sigmon placed both of his hands over his crotch area for an extended period of time, concealing the area from public view.” A security camera on the cruise ship’ also captured video os the encounter.

When the FBI boarded the ship and interviewed Sigmon, the court file indicates that he “told law enforcement that he understood that the touching could be perceived as inappropriate, but claimed that it was not intended to be sexual.” Sigmon stated that if another man touched his daughter in the same way he would have “punched him in the face.” Sigmon also stated that he was covering his crotch area immediately following the touching because he was “cold,” and “denied being aroused by the incident.”

You can read the court file here.

The Franklin County Office of the Sheriff issued a statement:

“The Franklin County Office of the Sheriff was recently contacted regarding a federal criminal charge out of the state of Florida involving one of our members. Since that time, we have been working to gather all the information we can based on the limited amount provided by federal authorities. On Friday, June 2nd, 2023, we made the announcement to the staff of the Office of the Sheriff that Justin Sigmon had resigned his position. Our prayers are with the Sigmon Family.”

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The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has indicated that it is involved in the investigation of the disappearance of 35 year-old Ronnie Peale, Jr. from the Carnival Magic last weekend. A local news station in the cruise ship’s home port in Norfolk, Virginia, 13 News Now, reports that according to the FBI’s Norfolk office, the FBI “has joined the investigation” into this disappearance. The FBI “is now the lead investigating agency with the assistance of multiple other agencies.”

The FBI has jurisdiction to investigate crime on cruise ships where either the victim and/or the assailant is a U.S. national. Regarding deaths, the FBI can investigate homicides or “suspicious deaths” at sea. The last time the FBI investigated a death was on February 27, 2023 when a woman died under suspicious circumstances on the Carnival Sunshine cruise ship.

Aside from clear cases where a passenger has been murdered, most FBI investigations on cruise ships go nowhere. For example, we were involved in the disappearance of George Smith IV from Greenwich, Connecticut who went overboard from the Brilliance of the Seas in July 2005. Although there was substantial evidence that another passenger was involved in throwing Mr. Smith overboard, the FBI eventually closed its investigation with no arrests.

Mr. Peale went overboard from the Carnival cruise ship from the balcony which he shared with his wife. She stated to newspapers that her husband regularly gets up before her and she thought that he had already awoken and was somewhere else on the ship. At some time after 3:00 p.m., she reported him missing to Carnival. It is this company’s policy to first search on the ship for passengers believed to be “missing.” As part of this process, Carnival’s security personnel reviewed unmonitored closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras which revealed that Mr. Peale “leaned over the railing of his stateroom balcony and dropped into the water at approximately 4:10 am early Monday morning.”

Carnival eventually notified the U.S. Coast Guard that Mr. Peale had gone onto the water earlier that morning. It was not until 6:36 p.m. – over 14 hours later – that Carnival notified the Coast Guard. The federal agency then performed a massive search, using Coast Guard aircraft and at lease one cutter, which was unsuccessful.

There are few details released by Carnival regarding the circumstances surrounding Mr. Peale’s disappearance which would suggest that Mr. Peale was a victim of foul play.

His wife is quoted saying that ” . . .he loved the cruise life being able to drink, gamble, and socialize put him in his happy place . . .”

It is standard procedure for Carnival’s security personnel to print out the bar bill of a customer who is injured or goes overboard. It is unknown whether he was intoxicated when he fell into the ocean. Gross intoxication is the primary reason for overboard cases involving cruise guests on Carnival ships.

As we reported in our prior articles regarding this case, no Carnival owned cruise ship has a automatic man overboard system installed, despite the fact that numerous intoxicated guests have gone overboard.

Have a comment or question? Please leave one below or join the discussion on our Facebook page.

Image credit: Carnival Magic – Jim Walker; FBI badge – FBI Twitter.

The United States Coast Guard ended its massive search for the guest who went overboard from the Carnival Magic as the cruise ship was sailing back from the Bahamas to its home port in Norfolk, Virginia last weekend. A press release by the Coast Guard indicated that the agency spent two and one-half days (60 hours!) requiring a massive amount of assets to conduct the delayed search, involving a cutter and three search aircraft from separate Coast Guard air stations, including:

  • Coast Guard Cutter Escanaba (WMEC 907);
  • HC-130 Hercules from Clearwater;
  • HC-130 Hercules Elizabeth City; and
  • HC-144 Ocean Sentry from Miami.

Carnival Corporation has not installed automatic man overboard (MOB) technology on any of the ninety-five or so cruise ships it owns and operates under its nine cruise brands. This technology incorporates motion detection, radar and infrared systems to send an alarm instantly to the bridge notifying navigational officers that a person has gone over the rails and into the water. The system then tracks the person in the water even at night.

This system, which we have highlighted for the past decade, eliminates any delay in the search for the overboard guest or crew member and greatly improves the chance of locating and rescuing the overboard person.

Carnival’s refusal to install a MOB system on the Carnival Magic caused the search grid to widen exponentially to  5,171 square miles, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

Carnival’s PR statement (which you can read here) released early yesterday claims that the missing guest “leaned over the railing of his stateroom balcony and dropped into the water at approximately 4:10 am early Monday morning,” according to the unmonitored surveillance cameras which Carnival eventually reviewed. The guest’s wife reportedly notified Carnival that her husband was missing “late Monday afternoon,” according to a statement released by the company’s corporate communications department. Comments attributable to the wife posted online indicates that she reported him missing at some time after 3:00 p.m.

In a press release late yesterday, the Coast Guard disclosed that Carnival did not notify the agency of the overboard passenger until 6:36 p.m. – a delay og 14 hours and 26 minutes after he went into the water! The Coast Guard stated:

“Carnival Cruise Lines personnel contacted Coast Guard watchstanders at 6:36 p.m., Monday, reporting that a passenger fell off the cruise ship Carnival Magic and entered the water.”

This case perfectly demonstrates the problems caused when cruise lines refuse to install the available MOB technology which certain Congressional leaders articulated in a letter to the Coast Guard earlier last month:

“Time is a critical factor in overboard incidents: the delay between an incident’s occurrence and the person’s friend or family reporting them missing can dangerously expand the search grid and decrease the likelihood of a successful rescue.”

After the passenger was reported overboard shortly after 3:00 p.m., there was a delay of over three additional hours before Carnival notified the Coast Guard.

Not only is the chances of locating the missing man substantially reduced, but the Coast Guard unnecessarily expended vast governmental resources which it is not responsible for reimbursing. Read: Your Tax Dollars At Sea – Who Pays When Things Go Wrong on Cruises?

The overboard passenger has been identified as 35 year old Ronnie Lee Peale Jr., as we mentioned in our first article about this latest cruise overboard. As we previously mentioned, Cruise expert Dr. Ross Klein indicates that 381 people have gone overboard from cruise ships in the last twenty-five years.

Have a comment or question? Please leave on below or join the discussion on our Facebook page.

Image credit: United States Coast Guard, PureTech Man Overboard System

The Carnival Magic returned to its home port in Norfolk, Virginia early this morning without one of its guests. The Carnival cruise ship arrived back in Norfolk at 5:30 a.m. following a five day cruise to the Bahamas. Yesterday, a passenger was reported missing from the ship “late Monday afternoon,” according to a statement released by the company’s corporate communications department.

Carnival eventually reviewed its shipboard security videos and observed a guest going overboard from his balcony. Carnival’s PR statement (which you can read here) released early today claims that the missing guest “leaned over the railing of his stateroom balcony and dropped into the water at approximately 4:10 am early Monday morning.” Accordingly, assuming “late Monday afternoon” was around 4:00 p.m. or so, there was a delay of around twelve (12) hours before Carnival finally contacted the United States Coast Guard to commence search and rescue efforts.

A cruise ship can easily sail over 200 miles during this amount of time.

AIS data does not indicate that the Carnival Magic altered its course to search for the missing man. The Coast Guard apparently eventually conducted a search, although no initial news accounts reflect the details.

The New York Post identified the missing guest as 35 year old Ronnie Lee Peale Jr.

There is no information regarding the circumstances surrounding the person who went overboard. The vast majority of people who go overboard on Carnival ships are grossly intoxicated.

Cruise expert Dr. Ross Klein indicates that 381 people have gone overboard from cruise ships in the last twenty-five years.

In 2010, the U.S. Congress passed the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act (“CVSSA”) which requires cruise ships operating from U.S. ports to install automatic man overboard systems to detect guests or crew members going over the rails and into the water. Technology has long existed to detect people who go overboard by using motion detection, infrared and radar systems. Modern systems can detect and record when a person goes overboard and instantly send an alarm to the bridge which can then use the system to track the person in the water, even at night.

The CVSSA requires cruise vessels to “integrate technology that can be used for capturing images of passengers or detecting passengers who have fallen overboard.”

Learning for the first time twelve hours later that a guest has disappeared into the sea at night is outrageous.

Carnival Corporation has not installed a single automatic man overboard system over the past decade on any of the cruise ships it operates under numerous (nine) brands.

Certain members of Congress recently sent a letter (dated May 9, 2023) to the Coast Guard inquiring into the status of why Carnival, and other cruise lines, have refused to implement the life saving safety systems. To our knowledge only Disney Cruise Line and one MSC cruise ship, the MSC Meraviglia, have these systems. Senator Blumenthal, Senator Edward Markley, Representative Lloyd Doggett and Representative Doris Matsui authored the letter to the Coast Guard.

The members of Congress commented that positive search and rescue outcomes in
overboard incidents are rare. “According to data on 212 cruise overboard incidents between 2009 and 2019, only 48 persons were successfully rescued – a mere 28 percent.”

“Time is a critical factor in overboard incidents: the delay between an incident’s occurrence and the person’s friend or family reporting them missing can dangerously expand the search grid and decrease the likelihood of a successful rescue.”

The letter also requested that the Coast Guard answer the following questions:

  1. What type of overboard prevention systems does the Coast Guard currently
    require installed on cruise vessels? If such requirements do not include systems
    that (i) capture images of, (ii) detect, or (iii) both capture images of and detect
    passengers who have gone overboard, please explain why not.
  2. Please describe the Coast Guard’s understanding of the status and commercial
    availability of image capture systems and detection systems for cruise vessels.
  3. Please describe the level of collaboration between international standards
    organizations like ISO and the Coast Guard on overboard detection technology
    systems.
  4. Does the Coast Guard recognize the ISO MOB detection technology standards? If
    not, please explain why not.
  5. Please describe any steps the Coast Guard plans to take to further prevent
    fatalities from overboard incidents and improve SAR operations, including the
    status of any rulemaking efforts and the development of an enforcement plan.
  6. Does the Coast Guard require any additional resources or further congressional
    direction to effectively enforce the CVSSA, particularly in relation to overboard
    incidents?
  7. Does the Coast Guard require any additional resources to ensure the effective
    operation of SAR missions more broadly?

You can read the letter here.

My view is that Carnival Corporation is disinterested in the life saving technology because it views these systems as an unnecessary cost item, even though the systems costs as little as a few hundred thousand dollar to install. Perhaps Carnival’s decision-makers think that if Carnival were to install one system on a ship on one brand, it might be criticized when it does not install systems for all ships in all of its nine cruise brands. Also, the CVSSA does not include penalties for non-compliance. Carnival’s renegade corporate culture is such that it does not hesitate to ignore laws when it determines are not in its financial interests.

In addition, the damages available under the applicable wrongful death law, the “Death on the High Seas Act” (“DOSHA”) are minimal and are limited only to financial losses. Pain and suffering, mental anguish and other damages for emotional losses are not permitted. Read: The Death on the High Seas Act – Screwing American Passengers for 89 Years. The bottom line is that there is no financial consequence when a person disappears from a cruise ship. Until there is accountability, greedy cruise lines like Carnival will not install automatic MOB systems.

Have a question or comment? Please leave one below or join the discussion on our Facebook page.

May 30, 2023 Update:

The Coast Guard is apparently continuing to search for the missing guest, Mr. Peale. However, the grid for the search increased greatly due to the delay caused by Carnival’s refusal to install a man overboard system.

Image Credit: Top – 13 New Now; Ronnie Lee Peale Jr. – 13 News Now.

A fire erupted on the balcony of a guest cabin on the Pacific Adventure cruise ship around 3:15 A.M. yesterday (Australian time) off the coast of New South Wales. The P&O Cruises’ cruise ship was carrying over 3,000 guests and a crew of over 1,000.

Newspapers reported that many guests were forced to evacuate from their cabins as the crew worked to extinguish the blaze. Accounts range that from several hundreds to over a thousand guests were displaced.

As usual, a cruise line spokesperson claimed that the fire was “small” and “quickly extinguished.” Numerous newspaper repeated the “small and quickly extinguished” fire mantra. There were no reports of injury to the guests or crew members. P&O did not disclose the cause of the fire.

There are conflicting reports regarding the extent of the fire. Some newspapers report that the fire damaged only one cabin whereas other sources claim that numerous cabins were damaged.

History Repeats Itself?

Based on comments by an anonymous guest, Cruise Mapper reports that the “fire broke out on a cabin balcony reportedly, caused by a lit cigarette . . . ” If so, this was also the most probable cause of the origin of deadly fire on the Star Princess cruise ship in 2006. That particular fire began on a balcony and spread into the adjacent cabin and then continued to burn throughout the ship. Read: Cigarette Eyed As Cause of Cruise Blaze by NBC News.

There is No “Small Fire” at Sea

Many people have suggested that the fire on the Pacific Adventure wasn’t serious because it was characterized as “small” and “quickly extinguished.” This is what the cruise line and its trade organization want you to believe. Of course, every fire on the high seas starts out small and is potentially very serious.

Does the Pacific Adventure Have Fire Detection and Suppression Systems in its Balconies?

The important issue is whether the balcony in question was equipped with a “fixed pressure water-spraying and fixed fire detection and fire alarm systems,” as required by amendments to the SOLAS regulations.

These amendments to SOLAS came about after the fire aboard the Star Princess which burned over a hundred cabins after a flicked cigarette caught a towel on a passenger balcony on fire.

The UK’s Maritime Accident Investigations Branch (MAIB) was critical of the fact that the balcony chairs and balcony partitions were highly combustible and caused heavy, toxic smoke. None of the balconies on the Star Princess had heat or smoke detectors or sprinkler systems.

We represented the family of Richard Liffridge who died in the fire. After his death, Princess said that it installed fixed sprinkler and fire detection systems on the balconies of its fleet of cruise ships. 

Has the Cruise Industry Learned Anything?

Mr. Liffridge’s daughter later went aboard the Star Princess and inspected the balcony and fire detection systems. You can read about that here, Ten Years of Cruise Ship Fires – Has the Cruise Industry Learned Anything?  She testified before Congress regarding the need for all cruise ships to be equipped with balcony fire detection and suppression systems.  

However, when the International Maritime Organization (IMO) amended SOLAS, it did not require all cruise ships to install balcony fire systems. It waived the requirement where the cruise line balcony furniture and furnishings were of “restricted fire risk.”  

Other than Princess, few cruise lines will publicly state whether their ships are retrofitted with balcony sprinkler systems or whether the newly built cruise ships (after July 1, 2008) are equipped with such safety features.  

Do all of the 95 or so cruise ships owned by Carnival Corporation, and operated by its numerous brands including P&O Australia, have fire detection, alarm and suppression systems on the passenger balconies? Have any Carnival-owned cruise ships built before July 1, 2008 been retrofitted with fire detection and suppression systems other than the Princess fleet? How about other cruise lines?  Have some cruise lines just replaced the balcony partitions and furniture with less combustible (and less toxic-when-burned) substances and deck coverings?

The basic question is did the Pacific Adventure have fire detection and suppression systems for its balconies? P&O representatives have not mentioned this issue and the media, unfortunately, is just parroting the misleading “small and quickly extinguished” fire narrative.

Perform Your Own 30-Second Investigation of Your Cruise Balcony

If you are sailing on the Pacific Adventure now, take a moment and go out on the balcony and look to see if it is equipped with sprinkler pipes and a valve, as well as heat and/or smoke detection systems. They are easy to spot if they have been installed.

In the photograph below, you can see our client pointing out the sprinkler valve (with her right hand) and the smoke/heat detector (with her left hand). Does your cabin’s balcony have this basic equipment installed?

Please send me an email, or leave a comment on our Facebook page, letting me know the results of your thirty-second investigation. We also suggest taking a photo of the balcony overhead space. You should also ask the cruise line for an answer to the simple yes or no questions: (1) does the balcony have a sprinkler valve, and (2) does the balcony have a smoke/heat alarm? (I would not hold my breath waiting for an answer). Thanks!

Have a comment or question? Please leave one below or join the discussion on our Facebook page.

In Memory of Richard Liffridge, March 11, 1934 – March 23, 2006

Image credit: Pacific Adventure – 9 News; Star Princess – NBC News; Pacific Adventure– 9 News Queensland.

Yesterday, we were informed by a number of guests onboard the Carnival Sunshine that the cruise ship encountered severe weather as the vessel was returning from a cruise to the Bahamas.

What’s the Chinese Proverb? A picture is worth a thousand words?

Rather than try and explain what happened, we will just post some of the videos of the ordeal from Facebook and Twitter, here:

You can see other videos of the storm and the cruise in question here.

Have a comment or question or a photo or video to share? Please leave one below or join the conversation on our Facebook page.

Image credit: Respective Facebook and Twitter accounts including Dylan Allen / @DylanAllenWx for cover images.

The cruise passenger, Jeremy Froias, arrested by the FBI for installing a secret WiFi camera in the unisex public bathroom on the top deck of the Harmony of the Seas last week was released by a federal judge in San Juan Tuesday morning after his wife posted a $25,000 bond.

We previously reported on this crime which has now received national attention.

You can read the affidavit by a FBI agent involved in the arrest which contains a description of the crime and photographs of the bathroom and camera.

The federal court case number 3:23-mj-00487-GLS convened a “detention hearing” Tuesday morning where Froias’ criminal defense lawyer argued for a low bond for his release from federal custody. The federal judge released him with the following terms and conditions:

“Defendant is to be released subject to the qualification of his wife as a TPC (i.e., “third party custodian”). Defendant is to post a $25,000 unsecured bond to be signed by him and the TPC. He is to reside at the address of record. Defendant is not to have unsupervised contact with any minors under the age of 18, including his two children. His two children will reside at the alternate address proposed by counsel (grandparents’ residence). The Defendant is to be subject to an EMD (i.e., “electronic monitoring device”) in home detention modality. He is to seek and maintain employment. Defendant is not to have any access to the internet, including in his residence or at work (which seems impossible given the apparent fact that he works as a cyber expert with a background of many years working with computers and computer networks). He is to surrender his passport. Travel is restricted between Puerto Rico and Middle District of Florida (where he lives and works). All other travel is subject to approval and coordination with the USPO (U.S.parole officer) and the Court. Courtesy supervision to be coordinated with the Middle District of Florida . . ,”

A $25,000 bond seems inappropriate, given evidence Froias secretly transmitted images and videotaped “more than 150 individuals” including “what appears to be at least 40 minors,” including some “minors (who) appeared to be as young as four or five years old” (per the FBI affidavit filed into the court filing).

Several newspapers reported that Froias worked as a “Cyber Security Officer” for the City of Kissimmee, Florida. Froias’s LinkedIn profile discloses that he worked in this capacity since November of 2022. Previously, Froias worked for the City of Kissimmee for the past nineteen years, first as a computer expert from 2004-2009 and then as a network engineer from 2009-November 2022. Froias’ photograph on LinkedIn is below:

During such employment, Froias obviously developed the computer skills which enabled him to secretly install a WiFi camera to not only record images of passengers and their children in the bathroom but to transmit the images to his iPhone using the cruise ship’s internet.

The Washington Post, in an article titled Cruise Passenger Arrested For Filming 150 People In Ship Bathroom, reported that the “public affairs manager for Kissimmee (a Central Florida city near Walt Disney World) said in an email that Froias was originally hired in April of 2004.” But “after reviewing the charging affidavit involving Jeremy Froias, we have terminated his employment effective May 8, 2023.” 

We have received a number of comments about this incident. Many passengers are upset that Royal Caribbean did not notify them during the remainder of the cruise (from May 2-6, 2023) or after they returned home:

  • “He’s a real creep, i bet his home computer is full of garbage, i wish they blast his picture too. 
  • Sure do hope there’s a way to find out what else he has in his home. Would love to see him severely punished.
  • This is absolutely disgusting! Royal Caribbean did not inform passengers AT ALL ‼️My family was on that cruise and we used that bathroom to change our 2 year old son (who was 1 at the time) I’m 99% sure we were recorded.
  • Was on that cruise disappointing Royal has not notified all the passengers on board.
  • I can say no one in my party was notified.
  • I was on that ship. I did not receive notification either. Thankfully we did not use that restroom. This person is sick in the head. Who knows where that 24hr worth of feed ended up.
  • I was on that ship as well and possibly victimized as well as my husband and son.”

We recommend that cruise passengers who were on this cruise and went into the bathroom in question, notify the link provided by the FBI as well as consult with a maritime lawyer familiar with the crime of video voyeurism.

May 10, 2023 Update:

the New York Times covered the story today, in an article titled: F.B.I. Says Video Voyeur Hid Camera in Cruise Ship Bathroom, writing:

“Jim Walker, a Miami-based maritime lawyer who has represented victims in other voyeurism cases, questioned the amount of the bond. “A $25,000 bond might be appropriate for a single victim, but considering there are at least 150 victims and many dozens of children, according to the F.B.I. affidavit, a bond should not be less than $1,000,000,” he said. He said he has been contacted by passengers who were on the Harmony of the Seas during the incident.

Passengers said Royal Caribbean had failed to notify them about the hidden camera during and after the sailing. They said they found out through the media and an F.B.I. notice seeking to identify potential victims.

‘It’s terrifying that passengers and their children were filmed secretly while they were naked using the bathroom,’ said April Wise, 52, who was on the cruise with her husband and niece. ‘Thankfully, we didn’t use that bathroom, but thousands of people were on the ship and they still don’t know if they were filmed or not. It’s unacceptable that Royal Caribbean has not contacted the victims.’”

Have a comment or question? Please leave one below or join the discussion on our Facebook page.

Image credit: Jeremy Froias – LinkedIn.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) arrested a cruise passenger last week after it was discovered that he installed a secret camera in a public bathroom on a cruise ship sailing from Miami on a cruise to the Caribbean.

An affidavit from a FBI agent verified that on April 29th, Jeremy Froias boarded the Royal Caribbean Harmony of the Seas in Miami for a seven-day cruise to Philipsburg, St. Maarten, San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Coco Cay, Bahamas, returning to Miami last Saturday, May 6th. On April 30th, Froias installed a “hidden Wi-Fi camera in a public bathroom on the aft of the Harmony‘s top deck between the ‘Flow Rider’ surfing stimulator and a bar:

After the camera had been operational for around 24 hours, a passenger noticed it and informed the crew on May 1st. Security personnel then searched the bathroom and found the hidden camera. The camera had a memory card inserted which included several hours of video files.

Initial videos showed Froias installing the camera and, later, returning to the bathroom to adjust the angle of the camera, focusing the video on the toilet area. The video also shows Froias taking his Apple iPhone 14 Pro-Max out of his pocket and connecting the phone to the hidden camera via Wi-Fi. Froias’s iPhone can be seen in the video, and it appears to be displaying the video feed being captured by the camera.

The videos “depict more than 150 individuals, including what appear to be at least 40 minors . . . Some of the minors appeared to be as young as four or five years old.”

You can read the affidavit and the photographs of the bathroom and hidden camera filed into the court record here.

“Individuals are seen coming into the bathroom to either use the toilet or to change into or out of swimsuits. Froias’s camera captured these individuals in various stages of undress, including capturing videos of their naked genitals, buttocks, and female breasts.”

Ship security interviewed Froias who admitted to placing the hidden camera in the bathroom.

Froias has now been charged with 18 USC 1801 (video voyeurism) and 18 USC 2252(a)(5)(B) (attempted possession of child exploitation material).

A number of newspapers in San Juan have covered the disturbing story which has not yet been reported by the media in Miami or the national press.

 The FBI office in San Juan Division is seeking to identify potential victims. The FBI states that it believes the Froias “primarily targeted cruise ship passengers between the timeframe of April 30 and May 1, 2023, who may have used the public bathroom on the aft of the Harmony’s top deck between the ‘Flow Rider’ surfing simulator and a bar. Passengers using this bathroom may have been video recorded by Froias.”

If you and/or your minor dependent(s) were victimized or have information relevant to this investigation, the FBI asks that you please fill out this short form.

The question is did Royal Caribbean notify any of the passengers, before they left the ship on May 6th when the ship returned to Miami, that they and their children were probably secretly video recorded if they went into the bathroom in question on April 30th or May 1st? Royal Caribbean knew sometime on May 1st of the secret camera and that at least 150 guests had been the victims of video voyeurism.

This is not the first time that video voyeurism has occurred on a cruise ship. Four years ago, a couple traveling with their young son on the Carnival Fantasy discovered a small video camera hidden in the bundled cables, behind the television in their cabin, which pointed toward their bed.

Spy Camera and Transmitter in Carnival Fantasy Cabin U160 – Video Voyeurism?

Just two months ago, a crew member was caught filming women in a children’s bathroom on the MSC Meraviglia.

MSC Cruises Crew Member Caught Filming Women in Bathroom

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May 9, 2023 Update;

The federal docket sheet in the U.S. v. Froias case 3:23-mj-00487-GLS case, mentions that a “detention hearing” took place yesterday morning. The federal court ordered Froias released on these terms and conditions:

“Defendant is to be released subject to the qualification of his wife as a TPC (i.e., “third party custodian”). Defendant is to post a $25,000 unsecured bond to be signed by him and the TPC. He is to reside at the address of record. Defendant is not to have unsupervised contact with any minors under the age of 18, including his two children. His two children will reside at the alternate address proposed by counsel (grandparents’ residence). The Defendant is to be subject to an EMD (i.e., “electronic monitoring device”) in home detention modality. He is to seek and maintain employment. Defendant is not to have any access to the internet, including in his residence or at work (which seems impossible given the apparent fact that he works as a cyber expert with a background of many years working with computers and computer networks). He is to surrender his passport. Travel is restricted between Puerto Rico and Middle District of Florida (where he apparently lives and works). All other travel is subject to approval and coordination with the USPO (U.S.parole officer) and the Court. Courtesy supervision to be coordinated with the Middle District of Florida . . ,”

A $25,000 bond seems inappropriate, given evidence Froias secretly transmitted & videotaped “more than 150 individuals” including “what appears to be at least 40 minors,” including some “minors (who) appeared to be as young as four or five years old” (per the FBI affidavit filed into the court filing).

May 10, 2023 Update:

Disgraced Former Cyber Security Officer for City of Kissimmee Released On $25,000 Bond

Image credit: Harmony of the Seas (top) – kees torn – UNION BEAR, Harmony of the Seas & EN AVANT 20, CC BY-SA 2.0 commons / wikimedia; photo of bathroom on Harmonu\y of the Seas – FBI via CRIMINAL DOCKET FOR CASE #: 3:23-mj-00487-GLS-1.