Warning: This content mentions child sexual exploitation, animal exploitation, and offense against minors.
Local10 News in Miami disclosed that a 35-year-old crew member was presented in federal court the previous day following the discovery of child sexual exploitation material and zoophilia videos on his device after he got off at PortMiami on Sunday.
Per the local news outlet, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents scrutinized the cellphone of Ferry Maryanto on Sunday afternoon, uncovering multiple videos and photographs featuring child sexual exploitation material. The entity of his nationality was not revealed by the outlet; however, there are indications that “Maryanto” is a commonly known name in Indonesia.
The visuals on the ship crew’s mobile displayed incidents of “boys and girls being raped or otherwise sexually exploited by men or women.” Miami-Dade Police, who arrested the crew member, denoted that these visual materials depicted victims “aged between 3 and 10 years old enduring sexual exploitation.”
Aside from the child exploitation materials, Maryanto was also found in possession of visuals portraying zoophilia, including “several scenes featuring women engaging in sexual activities with a horse, pig, and dog.”
Per the report from the local news station, Maryanto “admitted to detectives during questioning.”
Charged with 10 counts of possession of child pornography and three counts of illicit encounters with animals, Maryanto was detained (on an immigration hold) at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center as of Monday on behalf of the U.S. Marshals Service. His bail was stipulated at $2,500 per count.
The report of the arrest did not specify the identity of Maryanta’s maritime employer or the vessel on which he served. The only vessels docked at Miami last Sunday were the Valiant Lady, Norwegian Breakaway, and two Carnival ships, the Carnival Horizon and the Carnival Magic.
This recent apprehension has raised the overall tally of detained maritime workers to thirteen! Up until now, employees from five agencies have been arrested on charges of child pornography: Carnival – 4; Royal Caribbean – 3; Disney – 3; Celebrity – 1; and Holland America Line – 1.
The most recent four crew members nabbed were all affiliated with Carnival Cruise Line. Out of these four Carnival crew members apprehended two weeks ago, Iputuagus Karnawan, alias Putu Karnawan (aged 28) (from Indonesia), purportedly worked in the kitchen as a chef on the Carnival Conquest. Imadewisma Dana (also 28 years old and from Indonesia) was also reportedly employed as a cook on the Carnival Conquest.
Imadewisma Dana (left), Iputuagus Karnawan (upper right), Carnival Conquest.
Additionally, the other two Carnival crew members, apprehended last week for possessing child pornography, Igedeboy Mardika (photo below right), a 28-year-old Indonesian citizen, and Sreerag Vazhayil (photo below left), a 32-year-old Indian national, were also accused of having zoophilia images on the Carnival Cruise Line vessel where they were employed (either the Carnival Horizon or Carnival Celebration).
Vazhayil possessed a “video of a man engaging in intimate activities with a horse;” Mardika “carried three videos of women engaging in intimate activities with a horse, a dog, and a pig,” according to Miami-Dade Police. These allegations of zoophilia against Carnival crew member Mardika mirror the charges against crew member Ferry Maryanto apprehended two days prior. It naturally triggers the question – did these two crew members serve on the same vessel? Did they share or exchange the same illicit content?
Where Were These Most Recent Crew Members Employed?
Often, the detention records do not disclose the name of the cruise shipline employer or the cruise ship where the crew member resided and worked. Many crew members frequent this blog and a few ship staff have pointed out the cruise lines that employed some of the crew members who were apprehended previously on charges related to child pornography. (The anonymity of these individuals is safeguarded, of course). Assistance will be sought once again to uncover the identity of the cruise line linked to this recent offense.
Crackdown On Child Pornography By U.S. and Florida Law Enforcement in South Florida
Given the significant number of crew members arrested on cruise ships in South Florida over the past five months, it appears that both state and federal law enforcement agencies are making efforts to probe and prosecute individuals possessing and transporting child pornography (including bestiality videos) on cruise ships. It is probable that upon confiscating a crew member’s iPhone and/or computer, law enforcement obtains evidence from social media platforms and internet transmissions sharing child pornography and/or bestiality images, which implicate several ship employees. Some of these crew members work on the same cruise ship and may engage in the exchange of such images.
It is also evident that federal and state law enforcement authorities are collaborating with agencies utilizing advanced surveillance software where specialists monitor child pornography and file-sharing platforms to establish a vast international database to catch individuals possessing and disseminating child abuse images. Read: Inside the Surveillance Software Tracking Child Porn Offenders Across the Globe
Are Cruise Employers Doing Anything to Address the Illegal Conduct?
The core question remains whether cruise employers are implementing any measures to prohibit child pornography on their vessels.
Primarily, upon reviewing arrest reports and/or probable cause affidavits, it is evident that cruise lines do not monitor the computers or cell phones of their ship employees. It has never come to our attention, for example, that any cruise line has notified law enforcement of a ship employee caught with child pornography.
I have requested crew members to clarify whether cruise lines have policies and regulations (in a company handbook or in the “Master’s Rules”) concerning the issue of child pornography (e.g., it is against the cruise line’s policies and will result in termination, along with an explanation of its illegality, unlawfulness, and the serious consequences ship employees face (arrest, legal prosecution and fines, potential imprisonment, and being categorized as a sexual offender).
Thus far, two crew members have elaborated on the protocol of Disney Cruise Line. One Disney crew member shared the following:
“In response to your inquiry, following the arrests Disney has conducted town hall meetings (mandatory crew gatherings) where senior management from the shore side discussed the arrests and emphasized that it is illegal. They also mentioned that they would report any illicit activity on the DCL internet to all law enforcement levels, and also addressed how other misconduct (e.g. sexual harassment towards anyone, not just minors), threats, and assaults would all be reported to law enforcement. All crew members, when returning for another contract, will receive the same message during sign-on, and in HR training during the first week, they are informed that it results in automatic termination if caught alone (when with a minor, two crew members must be present). During training, and once a year, crew members undergo a session on preventing sexual harassment and abuse, which covers disciplinary actions.”
It appears that Carnival and Royal Caribbean, conversely, do not allocate any efforts in educating and training their crew members on this critical issue. Thus far, no employees from Carnival or Royal Caribbean have offered any insight into whether they receive training or guidance, notwithstanding the numerous ship employees from both companies arrested for possessing child abuse images of very young children.
Where Will This End?
Will cruise lines (aside from Disney) approach this issue seriously and educate their crew members?
I speculate that organizations focused on child protection are aware of additional crew members on cruise ships visiting South Florida, who have accessed or obtained illegal images. These organizations are likely collaborating with law enforcement to apprehend these individuals upon the return of the ships they work on to U.S. ports.
Stay tuned.
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Interested in this issue? Read: Cruise Ship Employee Arrested at PortMiami on Multiple Counts Involving Child Porngraphy
Image credit: Ferry Maryanto – Mugshot Zone and Local10 News.
