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Jim Walker

Everything the cruise lines don’t want you to know” is the motto of Cruise Law News, authored by Jim Walker.

Jim is the founding partner of Walker & O’Neill, a Miami-based maritime law firm that has represented more than 2,500 clients, including survivors who testified before Congress on cruise ship safety.

 A U.S. Border Protection agent arrested a cruise passenger who sailed on the Scarlet Lady for possession of child pornography on Wednesday at Virgin Voyages’ terminal at the Port of Miami.

Michael Fanning, age 47, of Atlanta was arrested when authorities reportedly discovered multiple videos depicting child pornography on his phone, according to multiple news

Passenger Overboard from Emerald Princess Near Hawaii

Last Friday morning, a cruise ship carrying over 3,000 passengers reported to the local police department in Hilo, Hawaii that it was missing a guest as it sailed toward that port. The police department in Hilo received the call at 8:40 a.m. on Friday, stating that 59 year

Cruise Ships Identified With Paroc Fire-Resistant Materials

It has been a month since the public learned that the fire-resistant panels used during the construction of the new Explora I cruise ship, owned by MSC Cruises and operated by Europa Journeys, failed safety certification. The Financial Times (“FT”), which broke the story, reported that a total

Insurers Demand Disclosure of Ships With Faulty Fire Panels

The marine insurers for cruise ships which may have the faulty fire-resistant Paroc panels are demanding transparency that cruise lines / ship owners disclose which vessels contain the faulty panels, according to Lloyd’s List. The London-based news website for the shipping industry recently published two articles

Passenger Reported Missing After Going Overboard From Carnival Elation

A thirty-year old man reportedly went overboard from the Carnival Elation which was returning to the port in Jacksonville Sunday afternoon from a five day cruise. News reports say that the man’s traveling companion reported him missing from the ship sometime in the “late afternoon” of

Explora I Delivered Amid Questions Over Faulty Fire-Resistant Panels

MSC Cruises and Explora Journeys, the owner and operator of the new luxury cruise ship Explorer I, announced the delivery of the ship with great fanfare last week. During the media blitz and hype surrounding the delivery of the new cruise ship on July 20th

Cruise Passengers Witness Pilot Whale Slaughter in Faroe Islands

The recent slaughter of pilot whales witnessed by guests who had sailed aboard the Ambition operated by Ambassador Cruise line earlier this week to the port capital of Torshavn in the Faroe Islands reminded me of the first time I became aware of this repulsive activity.

Cruise Ship Fire Safety Concerns Over Faulty Paroc Panels

The Financial Times article published last week titled Luxury Cruise Liner’s Launch Delayed as Dozens of Ships Face Potential Safety Hazard raised the issue that as many as forty-five (45) cruise ships may be equipped with faulty fire-resistant panels manufactured by Paroc. This raises important issue

Court of Appeal Revives Royal Caribbean Wrongful Death Lawsuit

Yesterday, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeal sent the wrongful death case against Royal Caribbean Cruises by the parents of Chloe Weigand whose grandfather dropped her from an open window on deck 11 of the Freedom of the Seas, back to the trial court. In

MSC Cruises and CLIA Respond to Explora I Fire Safety Concerns

Cruise trade organization, Cruise Line International (CLIA), and the parent company of Explora Journeys, MSC Cruises, are rushing to try and minimize the fallout of The Financial Times’ article that the Paroc fire-resistant panels used during the construction of the Explora I failed fire

Explora I Launch Delayed Due to Failed Fire Safety Certification

According to a blockbuster article in the Financial Times titled Luxury Cruise Liner’s Launch Delayed as Dozens of Ships Face Potential Safety Hazard, construction materials used in the building of MSC Cruises’ Explora I reportedly failed their safety certification. Helsinki, Finland-based Paroc (a subsidiary

Gastrointestinal Outbreak on Viking Neptune Affects Over 12% of Passengers

12.7% of the 838 passengers aboard the Viking Neptune cruise ship are experiencing abdominal cramps, vomiting and diarrhea, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Nearly 2% of the crew are also experiencing these symptoms of gastrointestinal illness (GI). Cruise lines

A cruise ship employee, who describes himself as a music director of Royal Caribbean, was jailed in Australia for obtaining and accessing child abuse photographs and videos. Forty-four year-old Dana Moran reportedly came to the attention of Australian Border Force officers earlier this year when he flew into Brisbane International Airport. Following a baggage search

Engine Room Fire Triggers Emergency Evacuation in Glacier Bay

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

Norovirus Outbreak on Celebrity Summit Sickens 177 Passengers and Crew

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

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