Desertion Problem on Cruise Ships

According to the Royal Spanish Academy, the word desertion signifies abandoning obligations or ideals, discontinue to visit gatherings that you used to frequent, or to separate from or abandon a cause.

The cruise industry has become very popular for many people who wish to enjoy its amenities and distinctions, but mainly its popularity is due to all the places one can visit. However, few realize all the hard work and personnel required to operate a vessel as large as a cruise ship. With this in mind, we come to the issue of seafarers, who are the greatest resource that cruise ships have for their operation. Many people who decide to    make desperate decisions, like deserting. Last but not least, family, or personal situations may often make them feel pressured into sending more money than what they are already receiving. With a seafarer feeling that the money they send is not enough, or because of a family illness they feel obligated to take care of, then they may out of desperation try to desert to another country to find better prospects. These are some reasons that may trigger a seafarer to desert a cruise ship.

 make desperate decisions, like deserting. Last but not least, family, or personal situations may often make them feel pressured into sending more money than what they are already receiving. With a seafarer feeling that the money they send is not enough, or because of a family illness they feel obligated to take care of, then they may out of desperation try to desert to another country to find better prospects. These are some reasons that may trigger a seafarer to desert a cruise ship.

In researching the subject on the internet, I came across an article named Desertion of Seafarers that was written by the West P&I Club of England. In this article, which was written in the year 2019, it states that during the last 10 years starting from 2009 there have been claims regarding seafarers abandoning their ships. Although these types of claims are not common occurrences and the consequences of such actions not particularly expensive for their respective companies, they can be very detrimental to the operation of a vessel and may take management time to rectify.

In some cases, a seafarer may reappear shortly after deserting, in other occurrences they may disappear for a considerable amount of time, and sadly, others may never be found.

There are many stories of seafarers who have decided to abandon their jobs on cruise ships and try their luck ashore illegally, many of whom make the news in the industry. Here are some examples:

·         In 2018, a crew member of Carnival Cruise Line was captured by the feds when he deserted his cruise ship that he worked on while in New Orleans.

·         Another crew member, this one from Norwegian Cruise Line, deserted his ship in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. He was later found after 10 days of searching and sent back to his country of origin.[1]

According to one seafarer, it is no secret that many people who work on cruise ships have ended up deserting to the United States, he recounted; “Twelve years ago, when I started working on a cruise ship for the first time, I was with a group of 10 people, countrymen from the same country. They all ended up in the US, and most of them already have green cards or passports. Ten years ago, if you went to downtown Miami, you would hear people speaking only Spanish. Now, there are a lot of Indians, Filipinos, and people from the Balkan countries,” he added. But not only in Miami. Many seafarers who decide to desert their ships go to other cities where there are large communities of their people and where they may have family or friends.

Having summarized all that was mentioned in the article, we can understand why there are a lot of seafarer desertion. To any seafarers reading and having these thoughts, do not desert. The consequences are sometimes more difficult to face than the job itself. As the responsible person that you should be, terminate your contract. If you do not wish to terminate it, then it is my understanding that you must resign. If you do decide to resign, then you must understand the consequences you may face, which may vary depending on the company with which you have your employment contract. So, before you make any decisions, study all the possibilities, orient yourself and do the best you can do as a responsible person.

[1] https://crew-center.com/why-crew-desert-cruise-ships-and-immigrate-illegally-united-states-and-other-western-countries