Just to think about someone going missing or vanished from a cruise ship is incredible, in a bad way. A person boards the ship and does not come off of the cruise ship at the end of the cruise. How does that happen? There is a rise in cases of missing persons from cruise ships, which is very disturbing. The cruise lines try to say how vacationing through a cruise ship is the safest method, but that is not true according to reports and statistics.
It is known that cruise ships would cover up or delay the process in reporting people who went missing. They did not want to ruin their “image” and have a decrease in profit from people boarding their cruise line. This proves that cruise line companies do not care about their passenger’s safety, just about gaining as much profit as they can. Cruise line companies want to put this idea that their cruise line is safe to board.
Thankfully, there was a Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act signed in 2011 by President Obama. This act requires the mandatory reporting of people who have gone missing and any crimes that occur to U.S citizens while aboard a cruise ship vessel. They must report this to the FBI, along with the Coast Guard as soon as possible. If people who go missing are reported immediately, then proper procedures can be taken to try and save their lives like, search parties. The more time that passes, the less likely the person will be found alive.
Why Do They Go Missing?
It is an unbelievable tragedy that a majority of these people who either go missing or overboard are not rescued. A family member of someone who went missing can at least get some closure even though only the remains of their body is found. Just living with the thought of never knowing what happen can eat you from the inside-out. Some reasons why people vanish are:
- Foul play: The person may have been murdered
- Suicides: Take their own lives away while on the ship
- Accidents: Excessive drinking causing slips, and other damages
- Negligence- Lack of various things such as, safety, lighting, maintenance, and more
No matter what the reason is, someone who just vanishes can leave a trauma to any family member of theirs.
Statistics of Missing Persons Aboard
You wouldn’t imagine that so many people just vanish from a cruise ship, but they do. Cases of a missing person from a cruise ship usually makes it on national news. Either they left without a trace, or left a trace, but were never found. Makes you wonder about the safety on a cruise ship. Here are some statistics:
- 165 people have gone missing between the year 1995 and 2011
- 20 people went overboard in 2015
- An average of 140 people fell over the rails since 2010
- 20 people go overboard on average every year
- Most people that go missing are never found
These statistics are just a fraction of the numbers continuing to rise of missing persons at sea.
Vanishing People
- On December 4, 2004, a 37-year-old female vanished from Carnival Ship Pride. She was on the cruise with her parents and her 17-year-old daughter. They only found her purse near a railing on the lower deck. After 16 long hours, their search came to an end. She was not found anywhere. Her husband suspected that she either fell the side of the ship by accident or someone pushed her.
- On July 5, 2005, a 26-year-old male vanished from Royal Caribbean Cruise. He was on the cruise with his wife for their honeymoon. He disappeared after a night of intense drinking with his wife. They found traces of blood at his cabin that led to believe foul play, but his body was never found.
- A couple aged 70 and 65 went missing from Carnival Cruise Ship Destiny on May 2005. They had been married for 50 years and had gone on the vacation for mother’s day. Only their shoes were found on the ships deck. There was a full search and rescue conducted, but they never found the couple.
Cases like these are heart-breaking to even imagine. Where is the security? How could these things possibly happen? If you are a family of someone who has gone missing and was never found, or went missing and their remains were found, you have rights against the Cruise line company. The person missing could have been due to negligence by the cruise line such as, a lack of security, allowing someone who is extremely intoxicated unsupervised, slipping and falling over the rails, and others. We can help you through these very hard times.
We Can Help the Families of the Missing Person – Miami Cruise Ship Attorney
Our firm has dealt with a wide variety of cases involving the death of a loved one, sexual assaults, rapes, battery, and various other negligence’s associated with the security of a cruise line. The most devastating one is never finding and not knowing what happened to your loved one. How do you ever get over that?
We are the voice and face for those who are not able to be for themselves at our firm. We use our knowledge, professionalism, and empathy in assisting anyone who has been a victim of someone who went missing. We fight for being compensated for such a traumatic experience. If your loved one went missing as a result of a lack of security, you are owed compensation for your pain and suffering, and any cost related to finding the missing person.
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