The U.S.
Coast Guard has proposed a rule to address the number of people
overboard on cruises, as specified in the 2010 Cruise Passenger Safety and
Security Act.
Under the
rule, cruise lines have the option of installing systems to detect when
persons fall overboard or using cameras to make a visual record of such
incidents. Most lines
are expected to do the latter, the Coast Guard said in notice published Jan. 16
in the Federal Register.
Previously,
the Coast Guard had sought input from the cruise lines, which responded through
CLIA that while technologies exist to detect objects falling overboard, they
aren’t reliable at sea.
The notice
addresses some of the last of 15 provisions contained in the 2010 security law.
Most have been implemented already.
In
addition to the overboard provision, the Coast Guard said that cruise ships
must maintain megaphones onboard at all times to comply with a CVSSA provision
on hailing or warning devices.
The notice
also said that in order to implement a provision regarding crime-fighting video
surveillance systems, cruise lines will have flexibility provided that the
systems cover areas where passengers and crew have common access. Cruise lines
had argued against specific rules that didn’t account for variation in ship
design.
The notice
also said that passengers will get a printed security guide in their cabin to
satisfy another provision of the law. The guide issued prior to each voyage
would include contact information for U.S. embassies or consulates in any
foreign country visited on the cruise.