The cruise ship’s captain, Francesco Schettino, 52, has been detained by Italian police and is under investigation for manslaughter and abandoning the ship. Captain Schettino, an 11 year employee of Costa Cruises, claims the rocks the ship struck were not properly marked on nautical charts. He also claims he was the last one to leave the disabled vessel. First officer Ciro Ambrosio has also been detained.
An injured woman was medevaced January 6, 2012 from the Emerald Princess cruise ship off Nassau, Bahamas.
The Centers for Disease Control CDC reports the Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL) cruise ship Spirit experienced a Norovirus outbreak during the December 18-25, 2011 voyage. During that time, 94 passengers and 14 crew members reported to have symptoms Norovirus symptoms including vomiting and diarrhea. On Christmas day CDC inspectors boarded the cruise ship in New Orleans to conduct a health assessment and evaluation of the outbreak. Stool specimens sent to the CDC lab in Atlanta confirms the outbreak was caused by Norovirus.
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida: Law enforcement arrested Luiz Scavone and a unnamed boy for the alleged rape of a teenaged passenger aboard the Royal Caribbean cruise ship Allure of the Seas. Court documents allege Sacvone and an unnamed teenage boy sexually assaulted a 15-year-old passenger on the last night of a 10 day cruise. Police charged the suspects with lewd and lascivious battery. Arrest papers state the boy met the victim at the cruise ship’s teen dance club called Fuel and invited her to a party. The victim stated she thought she would be meeting friends, but when she arrived at the boy’s cabin, Scavone, was there. The girl told them she had a curfew and tried to leave. Shortly thereafter both males raped her. The victim reported the sexual assault immediately to Royal Caribbean ship officials.
A cruise ship passenger who was sexually assaulted aboard the Norwegian Sky retained the maritime attorneys of Brais & Brais to represent her in a claim against Norwegian Cruise Lines. On the morning of April 11, 2011, a crew member approached Brais & Brais’ client, made inappropriate remarks about her body, followed her around the cruise ship and forcibly perpetrated a sexual assault. The trauma of the attack is profound and long lasting. This is the second time in recent months a passenger retained Brais & Brais in regard to a sexual assault aboard a NCL cruise ship.
