New cruise safety bill get US Senate approval

THE Cruise Safety Bill has been given the thumbs up by the US Senate. A unanimous decision was made to support the bill, which requires the cruise industry to be more transparent in reporting cruise ship crime.

Cruise ships will also have to comply with new cabin security and surveillance measures. The bill will require all ships to meet the minimum height for railings as well as to install peepholes and security latches on cabin doors.

Cruise lines will also be required to report crimes on a website operated by the US Coast Guard. Ships will also be forced to make use of technology that detects when a passenger has fallen overboard. Some legislative changes will still need to be made to the bill before it is passed to President Obama for his signature.