September 22, 2003 -- Traditionally, safety-at-sea issues have included icebergs, hurricanes, fire, gastrointestinal bugs (like those widely reported on a handful of ships in fall of 2002), and petty theft. But in the wake of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the threat of terrorism immediately assumed a high place on that list, though it did so with only a fraction of the media attention paid to airport security. News stories or no, the cruise lines, port authorities, and the U.S. Coast Guard have been tackling the issue and have implemented several new security measures designed to keep cruisers safe and worry-free.
Logistically, ships are more difficult to protect than planes because of their larger passenger loads and multicountry itineraries, their numerous labyrinthine public and "crew only" areas, their regular presence at public port facilities, and the access they offer weekly to the numerous contractors who come aboard on turnaround days to refresh flowers, service machinery, and perform other needed functions. For these reasons, all the major cruise lines have their own dedicated onboard security forces (with generally five to seven members), though events over the years have periodically forced an upgrade in their operations and rules.
Terrorism played a role in the last major upgrade back in 1985, when four members of the Palestine Liberation Front hijacked the Italian ship Achille Lauro, killing American Leon Klinghoffer. Following this event, onboard security was substantially tightened, ex-Navy SEALs began to be favored as top-level security consultants, deck officers were drilled in how to react to takeover attempts, and alternative onboard command sites were mandated, making it difficult for a small number of terrorists to take and maintain control of a ship -- a task also complicated by the presence of thousands of determined crew and passengers, and the ships' size and complex layouts. Many lines hired dedicated security personnel -- in some cases Gurkhas, the famed Nepalese fighters -- to assist officers and/or other staffers at the gangway and be on hand as needed.
Following September 11, 2001, all cruise ships went to security level III, the highest dictated by the Coast Guard, but because stringent security measures were already in place, onboard changes have been relatively few. The cruise lines already had used metal detectors at the gangways, required that anyone boarding be on a preapproved list, and employed computerized systems that can tell instantly who is aboard at any given time, both at initial boarding and when passengers are moving on and off ship at the ports of call. New regulations dictate a no-visitors policy, and while picture IDs have always been required when first checking in on the day of embarkation, many cruise lines today are photographing passengers digitally at embarkation. When you slide your shipboard ID card through the computer at each subsequent embarkation, your photo shows up on the gangway officer's computer. (Lines without this technology require guests to show a separate picture ID.) At press time, the U.S. Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (BCIS; www.immigration.gov) -- formerly the INS -- was trying to establish a regulation that would require all passengers to show a passport when first boarding a ship on embarkation day.
While cruise lines had always screened a significantly higher percentage of bags than airlines had (possibly due to ships' longer turnaround time in port), all bags, ship's stores, mail, and cargo are now carefully screened or X-rayed. At some ports, like the Port of Miami, specially trained dogs are also used to sniff baggage for suspicious substances. In addition, access to sensitive areas such as the bridge has been tightened in some cases -- the bridge observation areas on Disney's ships, for example, have been closed for the foreseeable future.
The Coast Guard has stepped up its involvement with ships homeported in the U.S. by reviewing security plans and by generally increasing their presence in major ports of embarkation. In some ports, they have also tested ships' security systems and the no-visitors policy by trying to board clandestinely. Port facilities themselves have been upgraded, with concrete barriers placed to prevent vehicles from approaching the ships and extra security guards hired to patrol the usually open pier facilities. Even lowly garbage dumpsters have been moved to new locations farther away from the ships, to prevent their being used as hiding places for explosives.
The new protection offered in port applies when underway as well; a new 100-yard security zone is mandated around all cruise ships, and the policy is enforced by Coast Guard escorts until the ships are in open ocean. (Say good-bye to those jet skis and small powerboats you'd always see cruising beside you in Miami harbor.) A "Sea Marshall" program is also being tested or considered in a few U.S. cities, with two armed security personnel boarding with the harbor pilot as ships come into port to prevent hostile persons from taking control as the ship passes near bridges or other sensitive structures. Also, ships are now required to give 96 hours' notice of arrival in U.S. ports (rather than the previous 24 hr.), giving BCIS more time to review paperwork and see who is aboard, and make sure no one is disembarking who should not be. To help prevent ships from being used as a means of escape, the INS now sends each ship's purser the current "Prevent Departure" list before every sailing, to compare against the ship's manifest.
Since Level III guidelines apply only to U.S. ports, the cruise lines have been working diligently with foreign port officials to beef up security around the ships, and to protect passengers on shore excursions that the cruise lines sell. Ultimately, if any port's security efforts do not come up to par, the cruise lines have the flexibility to simply alter their itineraries to avoid that port.
All told, the increase in security has been a remarkable balancing act of furthering passengers' safety without infringing upon the fun of their vacation. So relax: These measures and others the companies aren't talking about are there to protect you, and to make your ship a peaceful haven from the outside world -- the way it was always meant to be.
Do you have a comment about this article? Do you have your own cruise security experience to share? We'd love to hear from you on our Cruise Community Boards.