**GAO-10-400**                      Published: Apr 09, 2010. Publicly Released: May 10, 2010.                  

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## Highlights

Over 9 million passengers departed from U.S. ports on cruise ships in 2008, and according to agency officials, cruise ships are attractive terrorist targets. GAO was asked to review cruise ship security, and this report addresses the extent to which (1) the Coast Guard, the lead federal agency on maritime security, assessed risk in accordance with the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) guidance and identified risks; and (2) federal agencies, cruise ship and facility operators, and law enforcement entities have taken actions to protect cruise ships and their facilities. GAO reviewed relevant requirements and agency documents on maritime security, analyzed 2006 through 2008 security operations data, interviewed federal and industry officials, and made observations at seven ports. GAO selected these locations based on factors such as the number of sailings from each port. Results of the visits provided additional information on security, but were not projectable to all ports.

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Full Report (52 pages)

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## Office of Public Affairs

Sarah Kaczmarek
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## Topics

Homeland Security

Coast Guard personnelData collectionFacility securityLaw enforcementMaritime securityPort securityRisk assessmentRisk managementSecurity regulationsSecurity threatsShipsStrategic planningTerrorismTerroristsAssessmentsBenefit-cost tracking