The Talent of ICV

(SAMMAMISH, WASHINGTON)-September 5, 2012- The International Cruise Victims Association, Inc. (ICV) a not-for-profit corporation formed by victims and families of victims of cruise ship crime is a unique organization. With no paid staff, the talent of many experts in various fields have come to ICV and offered their support in numerous ways. These supporters include lawyers, security experts, maritime experts, victims rights advocates and many others.  

Money could not buy the talent of these experts, and their help has been essential as ICV deals with the various issues surrounding safety on cruise ships. Some have chosen to not have ICV disclose their identity, while some have agreed.

While we continue to be grateful for the support of several expert lawyers who have aided ICV in many ways, the following ICV update will deal with maritime experts joining our efforts and playing critical roles.

Serving on the Executive Committee and Board Member for ICV is Mark Gaouette. He has served as the Director of Security for Princess Cruises and Cunard Cruise Lines.  In addition, Mark also served as a Regional Security Officer with the U.S. Department of State, (..including Moscow, Beirut, and Yemen). In addition to many other assignments, he served as a Naval Officer on active duty. Currently, Mark is in the middle east working on security issues and Author: “Cruising for Trouble,”.

Supporting the ICV efforts in the UK and EU is Bill Anderson. His Maritime experience started when Bill was just 16 years old. In 1980, a British ship the MV.Derbyshire sank without trace in the south China seas with the loss of all hands. This was 42 poor souls including 2 wives, one of which was on her honeymoon. After much campaigning and threats by the seamen's union, an inquest was held which was conceived as a white wash. Bill was given this brief in 1990 and spearheaded a campaign for justice for the families. This had a successful outcome and a search was undertaken, one of the deepest on record, and the MV.Derbyshire wreckage was found and filmed using ROVs and a new inquest was set up.

In 2004, Bill was seconded into a federation as a Flag of Convenience Inspector to where he still is to date. He was awarded last year the Merchant Navy Medal, the highest award in the industry for his work on MV.Derbyshire and his commitment to the Merchant Navy.  His unique background has been and continues to be invaluable as ICV moves forward.

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Another partner of ICV is Professor Ross Klein.  He is the author of many books on the issues and problems with the cruise industry. His analysis of these issues has been  invaluable to ICV.  He is a Professor at Memorial University of Newfoundland in St. John's and probably the leading expert in the world concerning various safety issues in the cruise line industry.  He has testified three times in House and Senate hearings in Washington and his comprehensive testimony at the March 1, 2012 hearing of the Senate Commerce and Transportation Committee can be read at the following link:

http://www.internationalcruisevictims.org/Senate2012.pdf

So many are giving of their talents to make cruise lines safer for both passengers and crew members.  They are all making these efforts without pay but with passion to change an industry that for too long has chosen not to put the safety of those individuals as their highest priority.  The recent movement by two major cruise lines to offer unlimited drinks for one price clearly shows that safety takes a back seat to   increasing profits.

Kendall Carver, Chairman                                     Jamie Barnett, President

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