SECURITY AT SEA- WHY SHIPS OFFER A SAFE HOLIDAY ENVIRONMENT

In light of recent tragic events in Manchester, I thought that it might be worth taking a look at how security aboard modern cruise ships works to the benefit of passengers and crew alike. In these anxious times, perhaps nothing is of such prime importance to cruise passengers today as the simple fact of knowing that their safety on board is absolutely paramount to all cruise lines, large or small.

At check in, all your main baggage is security screened prior to sailing. After check in, you will be issued with a cruise card that is unique to you; it acts as a room key, credit card, and embarkation/debarkation card. As a rule, it is swiped every time you leave and board the ship, thus giving the staff an accurate record of who is on and off the ship at any given time. They are also usually embedded with a photo, taken at embarkation, that allows for an instant comparison. So no chances of an imposter walking on board while carrying someone else's card.

At ports of call, all hand luggage is security screened when it comes back on board the ship. In all ports, ships are docked at a secure, screened area where port staff will ask to see your card before granting you access to the actual port area. At the gangway, security staff are on duty at all times when the ship is in port. And the general public are not allowed to visit- or even to stand near- cruise ships when they are in port these days.

So the result is a safe, secure, almost completely hermetically sealed enviornment that, despite it's size, actually presents a small window of opportunity for any prospective attacker. And, for obvious reasons, cruise lines do not generally offer details of what additional security measures might be in place on ships at any given time, just as their compatriots in the airline industry do not.

As far as potential foreign hot spots go, most cruise lines simply cancel their calls there. While that might result in disapponted passengers and the odd, disrupted itinerary, your safety is paramount, and will eclipse any other concern. For instance, most cruise lines have completely abandoned all calls at any Turkish ports for the foreseeable future. Overly cautious? Maybe, But, far better safe than sorry.

Hopefully there might be something in this blog that provides some peace of mind. And, as a footnote to this blog, I'll just mention that I was in Turkey (Kusadasi) a few weeks ago, and there were no problems whatsoever of any kind.