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 strains there have been thirty-three (33) sexual assaults / rapes. This brings the whole 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 strains in all of 2022.
Carnival Cruise Line once more has essentially 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 critical bodily damage, bringing Carnival to a complete of fourteen (14) bodily assaults with critical bodily damage for 2023. There have been ten (10) bodily assaults on all different cruise strains making the fleet of Carnival cruise ships by far essentially the most violent cruise ships crusing on the excessive seas.
Final week, Chris Chiames, chief communications officer for Carnival Cruise Line, tried to attenuate Carnival’s quite a few crimes alleged on its ships, telling the Washington Publish that Carnival (which carried 5.5 million company final yr) allegedly operated “a a lot greater fleet, extra company and extra U.S. operations than any of our rivals.”
Carnival’s claims that its fleet is allegedly bigger and it carries extra company is fake and deceptive. The truth is, 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 larger capability and carries extra passengers than Carnival at any given time. Royal Caribbean carries a most of not less than 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 Proceed to Have the Highest Variety of Bodily Assaults, Sexual Assaults, and Rapes On the Excessive 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 strains 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 increased per capita sexual assault price 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 Severe Bodily Harm?
There’s a direct correlation between extreme alcohol served on Carnival’s “enjoyable ships” and violence, normally, and sexual violence in opposition to ladies, particularly. Bartenders and waiters on Carnival cruise ships are usually not paid a wage by Carnival however rely on ideas and gratuities. The bartenders are motivated to promote extreme quantities of alcohol with a purpose to earn a dwelling. There isn’t a unbiased police pressure on these more and more large cruise ships. Women and younger ladies are significantly weak to sexual abuse in what is usually a lawless setting.
“Battle Ships” Not “Enjoyable Ships?”
You solely have to look at the quite a few YouTube movies of bar brawls on Carnival ships to appreciate that there’s a superb purpose why many individuals name Carnival ships the “struggle ships” moderately than the “enjoyable ships.”
A Historical past of Criminality and Rape at Sea
Over twenty years in the past, the Miami New Instances revealed a lot of articles revealing Carnival’s felony’s underbelly, together with Carnival? Attempt Prison – What occurs when a feminine passenger is assaulted on a cruise ship? Not a lot …” The article revealed the issue with crew members raping cruise company and the shortage of felony accountability following such crimes. Nineteen years later, the Miami New Instances revealed an article indicating that not a lot has modified on Carnival ships up to now twenty 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 Extra Sexual Assault Studies Than Any Different Cruise Line, Statistics Present.
Twenty years in the past, a well-known and extremely revered journalist named Jim DeFede, then employed by the Miami New Instances, wrote a sequence of articles by which he requested the query “Is Mickey A Grasping Company Pig?” DeFede additionally wrote “The Deep Blue Greed – The Arison Clan Constructed Carnival right into a Cash Machine by Cleverly Avoiding Tax Legal guidelines” and “Ten Questions for Micky.” These articles targeted 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 a criminal offense in opposition to a visitor.
Carnival Company’s responsible pleas to substantial environmental felonies in 2016, a $40,000,000 effective, and mendacity about committing these air pollution crimes (to not point out repeatedly violating the phrases of its felony probation leading to further fines totalling over $20,000,000 in further fines), cemented its repute 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 Division of Justice acknowledged that the cruise line has “a tradition that seeks to attenuate or keep away from data that’s damaging, 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 misinform the general public.
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The Miami New Instances (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 enhance 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 Instances he’s not 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 is no such thing as a regulation enforcement company solely dedicated to dealing with crimes on ships at sea – and the cruise strains 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 enhance” in crime.
“After reviewing the brand new stories on sexual assaults aboard cruise ships, (cruise knowledgeable) 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 whole variety of passengers that cross by way of cumulatively over the yr.
‘The media falls into Carnival’s entice saying, Nicely, 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 way in which you have a look at crime statistics in any respect. That is what the cruise strains 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.
