Cruise Ship Crimes Detailed

Five of the 28 people who disappeared from cruise ships in the last three years were found, according to data disclosed to Congress by the world’s largest cruise lines.

A congressional memo compiled in advance of a House hearing on cruise ship safety Tuesday also details 177 sexual misconduct incidents, ranging from inappropriate touching to rape, and four robberies of amounts over $5,000.

During that three-year period, approximately 25 million people embarked on cruises from North America ports, the memo said.

Disclosure of the data, supplied by Holland America Lines, Royal Caribbean Cruises and others, is unusual because cruise lines are not required by law to publish comprehensive crime statistics and because criminal law varies greatly on international waters.

Rep. Christopher Shays (R-Conn.), chairman of the House Subcommittee on National Security, is working on legislation mandating such reporting.