Though this blog primarily deals with sexual assault on cruise ships, here at Hickey Law firm we see other problems that may arise from a cruise vacation.  We see different types of injuries relating to not just sexual assaults, but also slip and fall, other types of cruise ship violence.  We even review cases of Norovirus, a contagious virus that is too commonly found among cruise ship passengers and crew.  Not many people are familiar with the term Norovirus, but many have heard about its effects on those who contract it while cruising.  According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Norovirus, also known as Norwalk Virus, is the leading cause of food-borne illness in the United States.  Norovirus is a virus that is spread through person to person contact, through contaminated food and water, and even spread in an airborne form.

Norovirus outbreaks occur from time to time on cruise ships, often times sickening hundreds of cruise passengers at a time.  Because passengers aboard a cruise ship live for a few days to a couple of weeks in close quarters, the virus is better able to spread on a cruise than in a general population.  This transmission occurs during person to person contact, and also through contaminated food.  In fact, many outbreaks have been traced back to a single person that handled, and contaminated, food that became infected.  Norovirus can also be transmitted through touching contaminated surfaces and objects.  For these reasons Norovirus is considered highly contagious.

The symptoms of Norovirus are diarrhea, vomiting, and stomach pain – more than enough to ruin a cruise vacation.  All age groups and demographics are susceptible to the virus, and a person can get the virus multiple times over a lifetime.  Usually, a person does not become immune.  The symptoms usually last from 24-48 hours.  Though the symptoms usually only last for 1-2 days, a person with Norovirus is contagious from the onset of feeling ill and on for a minimum of 3 days.  However, there have been cases of a person remaining contagious for up to 2 weeks.

There is no specific treatment for Norovirus.  There is also no cure, but rehydration is highly recommended due to the fluids lost because of the body’s elimination of contaminated bodily fluids.  The CDC recommends many ways to help prevent contracting and transmitting Norovirus, but many of the best recommendations would be impractical for a cruise vacationer.  Among the recommendations are:

• Wash hands thoroughly with soap and water after using the rest room.  Hand sanitizer may help –but is no substitute for washing hands with soap and water.
• carefully wash fruits and vegetables before eating
• If infected, do not prepare foods
• Clean and disinfect surfaces that may be contaminated
• Thoroughly wash laundry

Primary Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norovirus

http://www.cdc.gov

In order to raise awareness about the ongoing problem of sexual assault on cruise ships we will make use this blog to periodically highlight certain cases.  This will serve to help keep the community informed as to what is really going on aboard cruise ships, the story behind the glossy vacation stories you see on TV.  According to recent reports over 9 million people cruised out of U.S. ports last year.  Considering the vast number of travelers, and the relatively small number reports of crimes committed aboard the ships, the cruise industry has done a good job keeping some of these stories from reaching light of day.  We will use this blog to get the word out.  We have previously cited a recent report which states that roughly half of the sexual assaults aboard cruise ships are perpetrated by the ship’s staff.  Let’s examine one such incident.

In April 2009, 30 year old Hery Krispiyanto served as a bartender on the Carnival ship “Freedom.”  It was there that he met a 14 year old girl, called T.W. to protect her identity, and her family.  Apparently as they became acquainted Mr. Krispiyanto commented that T.W. did not look 14.  According to investigators T.W. says that one night she was alone of the upper deck of the ship and was approached by Mr. Krispiyanto.  According to the report he walked up behind her, grabbed her arm, and pulled her into a nearby employee-only area of the ship.   He closed the door and began to touch the victim inappropriately.  Though she told him to stop, he didn’t.  According to the criminal complaint Mr. Krispiyanto raped T.W., despite her trying to fight him off.  After first denying the incident, Mr. Krispiyanto admitted to having sex with T.W. after having failed an FBI lie detector test. 

Researchers state that many times a when sexual offender is not caught for a particular crime, they will commit another.  This may be because of a feeling that they got away with it once, so they can get away with it again.  This is why it is so important to report such incidents immediately.  In the above example, the incident took place in April 2009, but the alleged offender was not arraigned until June 2010.  This means that up to a year passed between the assault and justice.   Let’s hope there were no additional victims in the meantime.

We may never know exactly why some people exhibit such anti-social behavior.  However, we do know that it is important to identify such individuals quickly and to deal with them appropriately.  We at Hickey law Firm continue to encourage anyone that has been a victim, or knows a victim, of sexual assault to contact the proper authorities immediately.

Primary Sources: http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2010-05-31/news/os-carnival-cruise-ship-rape-20100531_1_cruise-ship-carnival-cruise-line-raping

If you have ever taken a Disney cruise, you probably went through Port Canaveral to embark on your journey.  Over 3 million passengers are served every year at Port Canaveral, located in Brevard County, Florida.  And the port is expanding.  The port has been undergoing rapid expansion and is constructing new port terminasl meant to serve an additional 30,000 travelers in 2012.  Because of this already high annual capacity, topped by rapid expansion, the Florida Harbor Pilot’s Association (FHPA) has called on local port authorities to prioritize port safety.  The FHPA represent the 97 Harbor Pilots of Florida.
This expansion could not come too soon.  With the economy of the nation in the doldrums, the cruise industry is a reliable way to bring jobs and much needed capital to states and local economies.  A recent report states that the cruise industry generated $6.3 billion in direct spending in Florida in 2010.  This generated over 123,000 jobs paying out $5.4 billion in income.  It seems that the cruise industry is still sailing high despite the uncertainty in the economy, continuing high unemployment, and relatively low consumer confidence.
Over the past couple of days we have discussed the near term economic outlook for the cruise industry on our sister blog at Hickey law Firm.  According to Marketwatch.com there are potentially troubling trends ahead for cruise operators which could put a damper on recent growth.  However, opinions among researchers differ.  A recent survey pegged the total number of passengers on 25 major cruise lines in 2010 at 15 million.  This is up from the forecast of 14.3 million.  It also predicts further growth of 6.6% in 2011 to 16 million passengers.  It seems that despite high fuel costs and regional instability, people continue to see the value in taking a cruise vacation.
The news is especially good for Florida, which might as well be known as the cruise capital of the United States.  With ports in Jacksonville, Tampa, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, and Port Canaveral, Florida is reported to have handled over 90% of all embarkations in 2010.  This share is of over 9 million embarkations during the 2010 year for the country as a whole.  Florida has benefited from the industry’s explosive growth.  From 2000-2010 capacity on cruise ships increased by 86 percent.  The number of ships had only grown by  60% – with the difference being that newer, larger ships are carrying more passengers.  The cruise industry also increased its spending with US business by 75%, from just over $10 billion to $18 billion during the same time period.  Despite Marketwatch.com’s cautions, it seems the cruise industry is solid for now.
Primary Sources:  http://www.travelagentcentral.com/industry/florida-harbor-pilots-association-calls-safety-port-canaveral-29896
http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/news/2011/07/27/cruise-ship-industry-worth-63b-to.html
http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/news/2011/07/27/cruise-ship-industry-worth-63b-to.html