10/12/2017
Both cruise guests and crew members have been victimized by criminals in these foreign ports, often becoming the targets of theft, armed robbery, sexual assault and kidnapping. And one of the ports where we’ve seen some of the highest crime rates is in Roatan Island, Honduras.
Roatan has been in the news quite a bit recently. Back in April, we reported on the tragic death of a Norwegian Cruise Lines crew member who was fatally shot during a robbery very close to port. We also reported on another robbery crime, this time involving a gang that was targeting tourists in Roatan. Armed with guns and other weapons, the gang members would threaten cruise travelers and other tourists and steal their valuables, including cash, cell phones and cameras.
Though the gunman who fatally shot the NCL crew member and the ringleader of the gang were brought into custody, these terrible incidents demonstrate how easily anyone can become the victim of a crime ashore. Even the US Department of State issued two reports, titled “Honduras Travel Warning” (last updated in June), warning those visiting Honduras of the escalating crime rates.
The latest warning stresses that the “level of crime and violence in Honduras remains critically high”, and notes that the nation “lacks the resources to address these issues.”
The warning also explains that Honduras has had the highest murder rate in the world since 2010, with the Honduran Ministry of Security reporting a homicide rate of 75.6 per 100,000 people in 2013.
NCL pulled out of Roatan shortly after the death of the crew member, but at this point, perhaps all cruise lines should follow suit. Though ships often stop calling on a port after a tragedy, they usually resume regular operations within a week or two.
A few days ago, Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández took a stand to improve safety in the nation, and banned guns in Roatan and the Bay Islands. But while a valiant effort on his part, it appears that violent crime rates in Honduras may have reached a level that is beyond the local government’s ability to control, following reports of a recent shooting.
Find out more about the incident in the second installment of our two-part blog series.
CRUISE LINE CRIMES
