I 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1485 
To amend title 46, United States Code, to establish requirements to ensure 
the security and safety of passengers and crew on cruise vessels, and 
for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 12, 2009 
Ms. MATSUI (for herself, Mr. LEWIS of Georgia, Mrs. MALONEY, Mr. POE of 
Texas, and Mr. DOGGETT) introduced the following bill; which was re-
ferred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 
A BILL 
To amend title 46, United States Code, to establish require-
ments to ensure the security and safety of passengers 
and crew on cruise vessels, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act of 2009’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 
this Act is as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 
Sec. 2. Findings. 
Sec. 3. Cruise vessel security and safety requirements. 
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Sec. 4. Detailing Coast Guard personnel to enforce cruise ship requirements. 
Sec. 5. Study and report on the security needs of passenger vessels. 
Sec. 6. Amendment of the Death on the High Seas Act. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress makes the following findings: 
(1) There are approximately 200 overnight 
ocean-going cruise vessels worldwide. The average 
ocean-going cruise vessel carries 2,000 passengers 
with a crew of 950 people. 
(2) In 2007 alone, approximately 12,000,000 
passengers were projected to take a cruise world-
wide. 
(3) Even with these high passenger numbers, 
few vacationing passengers on cruise vessels fully ap-
preciate their potential vulnerability to crime while 
on an ocean voyage, and those who are victimized 
often do not know their legal rights or whom to con-
tact for help in the immediate aftermath of the 
crime. 
(4) On numerous occasions, sexual violence, the 
disappearance of passengers from vessels on the 
high seas, and other serious crimes have occurred 
during luxury cruises. 
(5) Over the last five years, sexual assault and 
physical assaults on cruise vessels were the leading 
crimes reported to and investigated by the Federal 
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Bureau of Investigation with regard to cruise vessel 
incidents. 
(6) These crimes at sea can involve attacks 
both by passengers and crewmembers on other pas-
sengers and crewmembers. 
(7) There are no Federal statutes or regula-
tions that explicitly require cruise lines to report al-
leged crimes to United States Government officials, 
unless such crimes occur within the territorial wa-
ters of the United States. 
(8) It is not known precisely how often crimes 
occur on cruise vessels or exactly how many people 
have disappeared during ocean voyages because 
cruise line companies do not make comprehensive, 
crime-related data readily available to the public. 
(9) Obtaining reliable crime-related cruise data 
from governmental sources can be difficult, because 
multiple countries may be involved when a crime oc-
curs on the high seas, including the flag country for 
the vessel, the country of citizenship of particular 
passengers, and any countries having special or mar-
itime jurisdiction. 
(10) Due to the absence of law enforcement of-
ficials on ocean voyages, it can be difficult or impos-
sible for professional criminal investigators to imme-
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diately secure an alleged crime scene on a cruise ves-
sel, recover evidence of an onboard offense, and 
identify or interview potential witnesses to the al-
leged crime. 
(11) Most cruise vessels that operate into and 
out of United States ports are registered under the 
laws of another country, and investigations and 
prosecutions of crimes against passengers and crew-
members may involve the laws and authorities of 
multiple nations. 
(12) The Department of Homeland Security 
has found it necessary to establish 500-yard security 
zones around vessels to limit the risk of terrorist at-
tack, but no viable means of communicating and en-
forcing the security zones has been established. Re-
cently piracy has dramatically increased throughout 
the world and vessels have limited if any means of 
protection against piracy and terrorism while on the 
high seas. 
(13) To enhance safety of cruise passengers, 
the owner of these cruise vessels could upgrade, 
modernize, and retrofit the safety and security infra-
structure on such vessels by installing peep holes in 
passenger room doors, installing security video cam-
eras in targeted areas, limiting access to passenger 
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rooms to select staff during specific times, installing 
acoustic hailing and warning devices capable of com-
municating and enforcing the 500-yard security 
zone. 
SEC. 3. CRUISE VESSEL SECURITY AND SAFETY REQUIRE-
MENTS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 35 of title 46, United 
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘§ 3507. Cruise vessel security and safety require-
ments 
‘‘(a) VESSEL DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION, AND RETRO-
FITTING REQUIREMENTS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Each passenger vessel to 
which this subsection applies shall comply with the 
following design and construction standards: 
‘‘(A) The vessel shall be equipped with 
ship rails that are located not less than 41⁄2 feet 
above the deck. 
‘‘(B) Each passenger stateroom and crew 
cabin shall be equipped with entry doors that 
include— 
‘‘(i) peep holes; 
‘‘(ii) security latches; and 
‘‘(iii) time sensitive key technology. 
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‘‘(C) Fire safety codes shall be imple-
mented. 
‘‘(D) The vessel shall integrate technology 
that can be used for detecting passengers who 
have fallen overboard, to the extent that such 
technology is available. 
‘‘(E) The vessel shall be equipped with a 
sufficient number of operable acoustic hailing 
and warning devices to provide 360 degrees of 
communication capability around the vessel. 
The acoustic hailing and warning devices shall 
be capable of communicating clear voice in-
structions to approaching vessels that are 500 
yards away, over 88 dB of background noise at 
the listener’s position with 90 percent intelligi-
bility. The broadcasts made by such devices 
shall be directional in nature so as not confuse 
other vessel operators who are not in the secu-
rity zone and to limit unnecessary noise. The 
device controls shall be manned and operable 
during transits in and out of harbors and when-
ever another vessel approaches within 500 yards 
of the passenger vessel 
‘‘(2) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The requirements of 
paragraph (1) shall take effect 36 months after the 
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date of the enactment of the Cruise Vessel Security 
and Safety Act of 2009. 
‘‘(b) CREW ACCESS TO PASSENGER STATEROOMS.— 
The owner, charterer, managing operator, master, or indi-
vidual in charge of a vessel to which this section applies 
shall— 
‘‘(1) establish and implement procedures and 
restrictions concerning— 
‘‘(A) which crewmembers have access to 
passenger staterooms; and 
‘‘(B) the periods during which they have 
that access; and 
‘‘(2) ensure that the procedures and restrictions 
are fully and properly implemented and periodically 
reviewed. 
‘‘(c) LOG BOOK AND REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The owner, charterer, man-
aging operator, master, or individual in charge of a 
vessel to which this section applies shall— 
‘‘(A) record in a log book reports on re-
ported deaths, missing individuals, and each 
significant alleged crime committed on the ves-
sel, and all passenger and crewmember com-
plaints regarding theft, sexual harassment, and 
assaults; and 
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‘‘(B) make such log book available— 
‘‘(i) upon request to any agent of the 
Federal Bureau of Investigation, any mem-
ber of the Coast Guard, and any law en-
forcement officer; and 
‘‘(ii) to the Coast Guard in an elec-
tronic format prescribed by the Com-
mandant. 
‘‘(2) DETAILS REQUIRED.—The information re-
corded under paragraph (1) shall include, at a min-
imum— 
‘‘(A) the type of vessel; 
‘‘(B) the name of the cruise line; 
‘‘(C) the flag under which the vessel was 
operating at the time the reported incident oc-
curred; 
‘‘(D) the age of the victim; 
‘‘(E) the nature of the alleged crime or 
complaint, as applicable, including whether the 
perpetrator was a passenger or a crewmember; 
‘‘(F) the vessel’s position at the time of the 
incident, if known, or the position of the vessel 
at the time of the initial report; 
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