I am considering a cruise but am wondering if there are any cruise lines that go strictly by the laws in the USA and are accountable to such laws?
I guess I would prefer to be on a cruise line owned and operated under the laws of the US are there some? Which ones?
I'm not quite sure what your concern is here. The major cruise lines Carnival, Princess, Royal Caribbean, Disney, NCL, Holland American etc. all register their ships in foreign countries for tax purposes. Because of the foreign registry they can hire foreign crew and they don't have to follow US labor laws. NCL has a subsidiary NCL America which is down to one ship in Hawaii. The ship was built and registered in America. Therefore; they have American crew and abide by US labor laws.
If it is safety you are concerned about the ship is under jurisdiction of which ever country it is sailing at the time of the incident.
"the ship is under jurisdiction of which ever country it is sailing at the time of the incident."
When I go to a foreign country I like to familiarize myself with the laws or/and travel warnings for the country I will be visiting by checking the following web site travel.state.gov. Thus, I guess on a cruise I need to discover what country/countries I would be passing through to discover if there are any strange rules, warnings, etc. to be aware of on my cruise.
Thanks
When it comes to shipboard safety, the ships are complying with international safety organisations (SOLAS, STCW, IMO etc) but also USCG rules and regulations as well as USPH. There is a thorough USCG inspection every 6 months and USPH inspections occur more frequent.
I guess I would prefer to be on a cruise line owned and operated under the laws of the US are there some?
As Cruise Fanatic noted, the only ship that would comply with your question is the lone ship operated by NCL America which cruises around Hawai'i. Of course there are small ships doing Alaska and the river boats in the U.S., but I don't think you are asking about those.
Regardless of a vessels flag, if it is in another country it must comply with local laws. You simply will not find a portable "U.S.A." unless you join the Navy or Coast Guard, where the ships are lawful extensions of U.S. sovereignty.
When it comes to shipboard safety, the ships are complying with international safety organisations (SOLAS, STCW, IMO etc)
Good point, Svein. It is important for everyone to realize that U.S. rules are not automatically the best rules. SOLAS, STCW, IMO, etc., all involve input from nations with significantly more sea-faring experience than we have in the U.S. I trust the rules of these groups.
When it comes to shipboard safety, the ships are complying with international safety organisations (SOLAS, STCW, IMO etc)
Good point, Svein. It is important for everyone to realize that U.S. rules are not automatically the best rules. SOLAS, STCW, IMO, etc., all involve input from nations with significantly more sea-faring experience than we have in the U.S. I trust the rules of these groups.
As far as I remember, the vast majority of the USCG safety regulations are based on the international ones, and a USCG inspection is not much different from any other port state inspection anywhere else. But since most ships are calling reguraly in US ports, one tend to be more aware of the USCG code.
Thanks Dave,
All of this information is good to know. I wanted to be as aware as possible about as much as possible (related to cruises) before booking a cruise.
Thanks
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