fb-pixelSurprise checks of cruise ships begin - The Boston Globe Skip to main content

Surprise checks of cruise ships begin

MIAMI — The Coast Guard has begun unannounced inspections of cruise ships at US ports, targeting those with patterns of safety problems, officials told the National Transportation Safety Board at its first-ever forum on safety on board the vessels.

Captain Eric Christensen, who oversees ship inspection policy for the Coast Guard, also said that regular twice-a-year inspections of 140 cruise ships based at US ports in 2013 found 351 deficiencies, most frequently problems with fire doors and lifeboats.

The inspection program began this month.

‘‘There was a population of cruise ships that had the lion’s share of deficiency. You want to focus your efforts on those vessels,’’ Christensen told the board. ‘‘They don’t know you are coming, but this is how you can summarize they would normally operate,’’ he added. ‘‘The bottom line is, we hold substandard vessels accountable.’’

Advertisement



Cruise ships must address any safety problems identified by the Coast Guard before they can allow passengers to board at US ports.

The NTSB hearing, held in Washington, follows last year’s fire aboard the Carnival Triumph, which left the ship adrift for days in the Gulf of Mexico, subjecting some 3,000 passengers to squalid conditions.

Associated Press