Are cruise ships prepared for the threat of terrorism?
As I have contended for a long time, in my opinion no.
Cruise lines are still calling on dangerous ports. They are still sending passengers on unescorted shore excursions in buses without armed security personnel. Cruise ships can’t prevent terrorists from overpowering their unarmed security guards
Newspapers in Europe are reporting that seventy-seven passengers and crew members were evacuated from a ferry and pier at the port of Joliette, in Marseilles, France after "after loud noises were heard below deck.’
The ferry was identified as the Jean Nicoli which was scheduled to leave for Sardinia this morning.
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There are mixed messages about cruising to Turkey, following a spate of terrorist attacks in the last six months and the failed military coup two weeks ago.
A number of cruise lines stopped calling on Turkey following the June 29th ISIS-inspired terrorist attack at the Ataturk airport in Istanbul when three suicide bombers exploded powerful devices
Terrorism hit the Atataturk airport in Istanbul last night as three suicide bombers exploded powerful devices that killed and injured a large number of people. The rising number of victims is currently 42 dead and 239 injured. ISIS is suspected as inspiring or directing the attack.
Cable news repeatedly showed frightening images of massive
I could not help noticing that USA travel writer Gene Sloan’s article today entitled Afraid to cruise in Europe? Nuts! Now’s a great time to go seems to be sponsored by Viking River Cruises. The don’t-worry-be-happy article starts after a 65 photo portfolio as part of an introductory summary of "Cruise ship tours: Viking River
Stephen L. Caldwell, a member of the National Maritime Security Advisory Committee. down-played the threat of international radical Islamic terrorism on the cruise industry in an article for Maritime Executive entitled Tightening the Security Envelope – Despite all the hoopla about terrorist threats and onboard crime, cruise ships are among the safest places on earth. He
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Royal Caribbean’s Adam Goldstein was on FOX Business’s @MorningsMaria yesterday. The FOX analysts questioned Mr. Goldstein after the terrorists’ attack on the airport and subway in Belgium yesterday.
Mr. Goldstein, the President and Chief Operating Officer of the cruise line, explained that his company makes a lot of effort into its security. Royal Caribbean’s
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Royal Caribbean is canceling the March 17th port call in Bali for the Radiance of the Seas due to its concerns over terrorism. The cruise line informed passengers:
“Hello, this is Royal Caribbean International. We would like to provide you with some important information regarding your March 12, 2016, sailing onboard Radiance of the Seas.
Today I received copies of letters handed out to the passengers and crew members on the Celebrity Solstice indicating that the cruise ship will not be calling on Bali (Benoa) due to the potential of a terrorist attack.
As you can see below, the letter distributed to the passengers yesterday mentions travel warnings about potential
Military.com reports that retired U.S. Admiral James Stavridis stated at a naval / private industry conference that the next attack by Islamic State militants may be directed to a navy ship or a cruise ship.
The military.com website quotes the distinguished retired naval commander saying: "We have an organization that has demonstrated they are highly innovative