Yesterday, the Division of Justice (DOT) lastly launched the fourth quarter of final yr’s cruise crime information. The DOT information for the fourth quarter of 2023 reveals that fleet-wide for all cruise traces there have been thirty-three (33) sexual assaults / rapes. This brings the full variety of sexual assaults / rapes on cruise ship for 2023 to a complete of 100 and thirty-one (131) such alleged crimes. There have been eighty-nine (89) sexual assaults reported by cruise traces in all of 2022.
Carnival Cruise Line once more has probably the most alleged sexual assaults / rapes on its ships in 2023. Within the final three months of 2023, there have been 9 (9) sexual assaults / rapes on ships operated by Carnival Cruise Line. Final yr Carnival Cruise Line had a complete of forty-five (45) sexual assaults / rapes. Contemplating it has round 108,500 passengers and crew members onboard its fleet on a mean day, this seems to be a per capita price (per 100,000) of over 42.
The typical per capita sexual assault price within the U.S. is 40 (per 100,000). Carnival Cruise Line’s per capita sexual assault price is increased than twenty-seven states within the U.S.
Along with sexual crimes, final quarter Carnival Cruise Line had 5 bodily assaults resulting in severe bodily damage, bringing Carnival to a complete of fourteen (14) bodily assaults with severe bodily damage for 2023. There have been ten (10) bodily assaults on all different cruise traces making the fleet of Carnival cruise ships by far probably the most violent cruise ships crusing on the excessive seas.
Final week, Chris Chiames, chief communications officer for Carnival Cruise Line, tried to reduce Carnival’s quite a few crimes alleged on its ships, telling the Washington Post that Carnival (which carried 5.5 million visitors final yr) allegedly operated “a a lot greater fleet, extra visitors and extra U.S. operations than any of our rivals.”
Carnival’s claims that its fleet is allegedly bigger and it carries extra visitors is fake and deceptive. In actual fact, Carnival Cruise Line additionally has the identical variety of cruise ships as Royal Caribbean (every personal 27 ships). However Royal Caribbean has bigger cruise ships with higher capability and carries extra passengers than Carnival at any given time. Royal Caribbean carries a most of at the very least 125,000 passengers. Carnival Cruise Line has a most of round 75,000 passengers.
The truth that Royal Caribbean has extra ships working outdoors of the U.S. is irrelevant for functions of calculating crime statistics. As we defined final week in our article titled Carnival Cruise Line Ships Continue to Have the Highest Number of Physical Assaults, Sexual Assaults, and Rapes On the High Seas, each Carnival and Royal Caribbean report crimes that are alleged to happen throughout cruises which don’t name on U.S. ports. Though the Cruise Vessel Safety and Security Act (CVSSA) of 2010 requires the reporting of crimes which happen solely when the cruise ship calls on a U.S. port, each cruise traces report crimes that are alleged to happen when their ships don’t name on U.S. ports.
The per capita price of sexual assaults on Carnival ships of over 42 per 100,000 is critical. It’s a higher per capita sexual assault rate than twenty-seven states, together with New York (29.4), Florida (30), and California (37.4).
Why Does Carnival Cruise Line Have The Highest Variety of Sexual Assaults and Bodily Assaults Resulting in Critical Bodily Harm?
There’s a direct correlation between extreme alcohol served on Carnival’s “enjoyable ships” and violence, on the whole, and sexual violence towards girls, specifically. Bartenders and waiters on Carnival cruise ships should not paid a wage by Carnival however rely upon suggestions and gratuities. The bartenders are motivated to promote extreme quantities of alcohol with a purpose to earn a residing. There isn’t a impartial police power on these more and more enormous cruise ships. Women and younger girls are notably susceptible to sexual abuse in what is usually a lawless setting.
“Struggle Ships” Not “Enjoyable Ships?”
You solely have to observe the quite a few YouTube videos of bar brawls on Carnival ships to appreciate that there’s an excellent purpose why many individuals name Carnival ships the “combat ships” fairly than the “enjoyable ships.”
A Historical past of Criminality and Rape at Sea
Over twenty years in the past, the Miami New Occasions revealed a variety of articles revealing Carnival’s felony’s underbelly, together with Carnival? Try Criminal – What happens when a female passenger is assaulted on a cruise ship? Not much …” The article revealed the issue with crew members raping cruise visitors and the dearth of felony accountability following such crimes. Nineteen years later, the Miami New Occasions revealed an article indicating that not a lot has modified on Carnival ships prior to now 20 years – Carnival’s per capita crime statistics for shipboard rape are increased than the rape charges for a lot of states within the U.S. Learn our article in 2019 titled: Carnival Has More Sexual Assault Reports Than Any Other Cruise Line, Statistics Show.
Twenty years in the past, a well-known and extremely revered journalist named Jim DeFede, then employed by the Miami New Occasions, wrote a collection of articles by which he requested the query “Is Mickey A Greedy Corporate Pig?” DeFede additionally wrote “The Deep Blue Greed – The Arison Clan Built Carnival into a Money Machine by Cleverly Avoiding Tax Laws” and “Ten Questions for Micky.” These articles centered on the extraordinary steps which Carnival took to keep away from paying taxes and oversight by the U.S. authorities whereas systematically underpaying its crew members and escorting them from the U.S. after they have been injured or dedicated against the law towards a visitor.
Carnival Company’s guilty pleas to substantial environmental felonies in 2016, a $40,000,000 fine, and mendacity about committing these air pollution crimes (to not point out repeatedly violating the phrases of its felony probation leading to extra fines totalling over $20,000,000 in additional fines), cemented its fame of being a company felon.
Extra Cowl-Ups and Lies to the Public?
When Carnival pled responsible to the second revocation of its felony continuing in January of 2022, the Department of Justice stated that the cruise line has “a tradition that seeks to reduce or keep away from data that’s unfavourable, uncomfortable, or threatening to the corporate, together with to high management.” That is an integral a part of the issue with the sexual and violent crimes alleged to be dedicated on cruise ships it operates. A recidivist company cruise felon like Carnival, with its tradition of canopy up, lies & misinformation, will inevitably attempt to cover-up the crimes, blame the victims and mislead the general public.
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January 18, 2024 Replace:
The Miami New Times (Naomi Feinstein) stories on the cruise crime will increase. “A report from the U.S. Division of Transportation (DOT) states that 131 alleged incidents of sexual assault and rape have been reported on cruise ships final yr – a marked improve past the 2022 whole of 87 and the pre-pandemic whole of 101 in 2019.”
“Jim Walker, a Miami-based maritime legal professional who has represented dozens of cruise ship assault victims, tells New Occasions he isn’t stunned by the brand new figures. He blames the sexual assault prevalence on lax safety, a tradition of heavy consuming, and a scarcity of correct vetting of crew members.
Walker says that onboard sexual assaults are nonetheless underreported and underprosecuted as a result of there isn’t a legislation enforcement company solely dedicated to dealing with crimes on ships at sea – and the cruise traces routinely attempt to sweep incidents underneath the rug.”
CLIA nonetheless “maintains that ‘cruise ships are one of many most secure trip choices on this planet’ and admits solely to a “marginal improve” in crime.
“After reviewing the brand new stories on sexual assaults aboard cruise ships, (cruise skilled) Ross Klein . . . estimated that Carnival Cruise Line’s adjusted price of sexual assault is 42 per 100,0000 passengers.
Walker says that’s increased than the sexual assault price per capita in most main U.S. cities. He says ships’ crime price needs to be estimated across the standing variety of passengers at a given time, not the full variety of passengers that move by way of cumulatively over the yr.
‘The media falls into Carnival’s entice saying, Effectively, we now have 5.5 million individuals cruising a yr, and the [rate of assaults] is small in comparison with that,” Walker says. ‘That’s not the best way you have a look at crime statistics in any respect. That is what the cruise traces have been arguing over 12 years in the past after they have been making an attempt to keep away from reporting.’”
Picture credit score: Carnival Liberty – Jim Walker.
