Following the ‘man overboard’ alert on the Norwegian Star when cruising along the coast of Croatia, where Kay Longstaff, a UK citizen, was rescued after 10 hours in the water, the CLIA issued the following statement.
Andy Harmer, Director, CLIA UK & Ireland, said: “A cruise holiday is one of the safest forms of travel. Cruise ships today are the safest that ever sailed, thanks to the rules, regulations and technological innovations that govern their design. There are no known cases of someone acting responsibly who has accidentally fallen over the railing of a cruise ship.
“Safety regulations, including uniform minimum railing and balcony heights of one metre, plus other structural barriers are in place to prevent passengers, who are acting responsibly, from simply falling off a cruise ship.
“Cruise lines are highly regulated with robust enforcement. The average ship undergoes dozens of announced and unannounced safety inspections per year, involving hundreds of man hours and covering thousands of specific requirements set by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).”
