Cruise ships are “attractive terrorist targets†that might need tighter security
Coming up next in security: will cruise visitors eventually be facing the same scrutiny as airline passengers?
Calling cruise ships "attractive terrorist targets," the Government Accountability Office said that US Customs and Border Protection should look into the possibility of checking cruise ship passenger manifests in a similar way it does for commercial airplanes.
“Cruise ships are the single largest passenger conveyances in the world, with one ship currently in service that can carry more than 8,500 passengers and crew. The Coast Guard considers cruise ships to be highly attractive targets to terrorists," said the report.
The report found that cruise lines and ports have developed and implemented security plans.
The Coast Guard assessed possible terrorist threats but said, so far, there have been no “credible” incidents
The report recommended that the Coast Guard conduct a study to determine whether requiring cruise lines to provide automated passenger name data would benefit homeland security.
Over 9 million passengers departed from US ports on cruise ships in 2008, according to agency officials,
No specific timetable was set for what might happen next.
By David Wilkening
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