ICV Update

January 10, 2011

ICV Celebrates 5^th Anniversary

Dear Friends and Members,

Just five short years ago, four families came together to form a group which was named International Cruise Victims Association (ICV).  At that time, I am sure that no one took this group seriously on the issue of crimes on cruise ships, let alone the Cruise Line Industry.

Step by step, this small group grew to the point that five years later it now has members and friends in over 20 countries around the world.  In addition, ICV is known throughout the world and it is having a significant impact upon the very industry that did not take it seriously.

It all started with a Congressional Hearing in December 2005, which was chaired by Rep. Christopher Shays who started the process of looking into the issue.  As a result of this hearing and additional hearings, many media outlets started to look at this subject, which resulted in the writing of major articles and the airing of various TV and radio shows to carry this message.

In March of 2006, several ICV members testified for the first time at a second Congressional hearing.  That hearing was a turning point because instead of just discussing their own tragic stories, ICV took a positive approach and introduced, to the surprise of everyone, a 10-point program to improve safety on cruise lines.  This list has grown to 13 points, but has served as the basis for future legislation.

At the very first hearing, ICV went to officials of the Cruise Line Industry and said, Why dont we work together?  We obviously received no positive response to that offer.  I am sure that this powerful group which spent $11 million on lobbyists in 2008-2009, did not take us seriously, but chose instead to continue their previous approach - avoiding federal regulations concerning crimes on cruise ships.

In 2007, two additional Congressional hearings took place with Rep. Doris Matsui leading this effort in the House.  In June of 2008, under the leadership of Senator John Kerry, a hearing was then held in the U. S. Senate.  This resulted in the introduction of the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act which finally passed in July of 2010.

This has not been an easy road.  ICV members are all volunteers with very limited funds, but with a passion to carry the message to Congress.  From around the world, unique talents came to ICV.  In addition, the press, as they looked into this issue, have put out story after story that supported our efforts and made the public aware of this major concern about crimes on cruise ships, and the need for legislative action to be taken.  When the final votes were taken on our legislation, the Senate voted unanimously to support this legislation, and 416 members in the House voted their approval with only 4 members voting against these needed changes.

ICV is now a very well established organization with unique talents in various areas including victim support, lobbying, and technical issues.  Our work is not finished and again we call for the cruise line industry to work with ICV.  It is obviously their decision to make, but we are moving forward regardless.

Major efforts this coming year will include changing the current 1920 law referred to as the Death on the High Seas Act to hold cruise lines responsible for individuals that die on cruise ships where the cruise lines are at fault.  We now know that the recent fire on the Carnival cruise ship off the coast of Mexico could have been a real disaster, since the Coast Guard has issued a major report indicating that the Fire Prevention System was not working properly on that ship thus putting at risk the lives of over 4000 individuals.

In addition, ICV is now taking our legislation worldwide.  Australia is already starting to move forward. We are very optimistic that our efforts to protect all passengers worldwide will be successful.

As indicated earlier, the media has made the difference for ICV. This past Sunday, Sandy Dhuyvetter of Business Talk Radio did an interview that covers the history of ICV.  In this extensive interview, Ken Carver reviews the past, present, and future of ICV.  The link is as follows:

http://www.traveltalkmedia.com/archives_jan02_11.html#004

ICV thanks all those who have supported our efforts in the past five years. We look forward to the future as we continue with our twofold mission: supporting victims of crime on cruise ships, and advocating for legislative reform around the world.  As always, our goal is to provide passengers the safety and protection they need and deserve while making sure that those who commit crimes onboard are held accountable.

Kendall Carver, Chairman

Jamie Barnett, President