Letters: Security at sea

Re “Is cruise ships’ crime drop real?,” July 2

The article presented an unbalanced portrayal of security on board cruise ships.

The security personnel working for members of the Cruise Lines International Assn. expend significant efforts responding to incidents, which are communicated to appropriate law enforcement agencies as required by law. We are not aware of any situation in which a passenger reported a serious crime to a cruise line that was not reported to the appropriate law enforcement authorities.

Passengers on a cruise ship are at no greater risk from crime than they are anywhere they may decide to travel, and this is supported by data. Relying primarily on the insights and statistics developed by a small minority of vocal critics of the cruise industry does readers a disservice.

Passengers’ security is the industry’s No. 1 priority, and it is vigilant about steps to prevent, address and report crimes.

Christine Duffy

Arlington, Va.

The writer is president and chief executive of Cruise Lines International Assn.

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