In the Lawless Sea

By David Blach Andersen - Journalist, DR Nyheder, Denmark

A breathtaking Cruise Tour to the Caribbean is for many a dream, but it is simultaneously a billion industry, which is growing in Europe and Denmark, and in line with lower prices selected 25,000 Danes in 2010 to take on a cruise travel.

But if the dream journey develops unsightly, there is almost no help to download from either the company or the authorities, and the last decade is 200 people disappeared overboard in their journey, and violence and sex assults are not rare. It recounts the Australian news magazine 60 minutes.

The huge ships may have up to several thousand passengers on board, is not even required to make a report of the crime, and the investigations of the cases can be virtually non-existent, forklarere Kendall Carver, founder of the Organisation International Cruise Victims, to DR News.

Lost her daughter

Kendall Carvers daughter Merrian disappeared during a cruise in 2004, and since then, he has initiated a campaign against the world's Cruise industry along with his orgasnisation.

-The company said that she had stopped using his room after a few days, but they said that it was not abnormal. They had not made contact with us, or the FBI, tells Kendall Carver.

The crew on Board noted that Merrian had disappeared, but the ship did nothing about it. They neither contacted authorities or family. On the contrary, sought to put a lid on the case. It was later revealed that Merrian's possessions from her room had been thrown out.

-We spoke with steward, who said he had been told to forget about pursuing the matter, tells Kendall Carver.

Three years later, it appeared that the ship had had video material, with recordings of Marjoram, even if they originally had said that they had not.

60 minutes recounts several similar stories as well as violence and sex assults, confirming that Kendall Carvers story is not unique.

No police officer

The gigantic vessels can have space to over 3000 people on board, but in addition to their own crew, they have no independent authority to maintain law and public security.

-We take thousands of people and unlimited quantities of alcohol, and if you compare it with, that there is no police force, then it is a dangerous combination, says Kendall Carver.

It is something he would like to see changed.

-If you look at any city-for example in Denmark or somewhere else in Europe, and living just 400 people, so there will be a police man who can do anything, if there is a crime, but it is not on a cruise ship, said Kendall Carver.

In no man's land

Half of the Danes who took on the cruise in 2010 departed primarily from Copenhagen, said Claus Jensen from MyCruise .com. But if you think that it is protected by Danish law, because we have a departure in Denmark, one can think about.

It is about which country the ship is registered in, that is, which flag is flying, explains Birgit Feldtman, Associate Professor of legal Institute at the University of Southern Denmark.

-The starting point is that if you are on the open sea, so are you in no man's land. Centrally it is therefore on what ship you are, we can see the ships as some small bubbles of sovereignty.

And it can have consequences, if we are victims of crime on board the ship.

-It makes no difference what port they sail out from, the nationality of the crew or the captain has, or who owns the ship. As a starting point, it will always be the flag State, to investigate the crime.

Large companies often registering their vessels in countries other than where the ship itself comes from in order to circumvent the rules and gain tax advantages.

-Kydstogtsskibene say they are leaving efterforkningen to the local authorities, but the persons who receive incident sits in a third-world country, such as the Bahamas, and is not able to do anything by the crimes here, says Kendall Carver.

A step on the road, Kendall Carver founded the Organization International Cruise Victims; there is an organization for relatives and persons who have been the victim of a crime on a cruise ship.

The pressure on the authorities has meant that a law has been introduced in the United States, which means that cruise ships are now obliged to report a crime or disappearance to the US authorities, if the passenger well and mark sailed out from an American port, but it is only a step on the way, said Kendall Carver.

In Europe, where 5.2 million in 2010 chose to climb aboard a cruise ship, there is no guarantee that one's home country will be contacted.

Kendall Carver travels to Europe for two weeks, where he will speak to in order to raise awareness about the lack of legislation.

-One of our objectives is to this law shall be applicable worldwide, so all passengers are protected, says Kendall Carver.

Translated by Bing

To read the original article in Dutch, click here