Cruise ship passenger arrested

Staff onboard Royal Caribbean’s Radiance of the Seas turn over man who tried to throw his partner overboard en route to Hobart, Australia

A domestic altercation turned violent on board Royal Caribbean’s Radiance of the Seas when a man allegedly tried to throw his partner overboard.

The incident occurred while the cruise ship was en route to Hobart, at around 3:30 in the morning on Thursday, October 17th.

Queensland man arrested for attempted murder on Radiance of the Seas

The 46-year-old man allegedly attempted to throw his partner overboard after a late-night altercation.

Police arrested the man the next morning when the cruise ship docked at Hobart. After taking the man into custody, police described the altercation as a “family violence incident.”

The unidentified man has already faced the Hobart Magistrates Court and will appear in the Supreme Court in February of next year.

Royal Caribbean stresses “zero-tolerance policy” for violence on board

Thanks in large part to the cruise ship’s security staff, the man’s partner (also unidentified) was not thrown overboard.

Royal Caribbean issued a statement on Friday stating security staff onboard the Radiance of the Seas responded to the incident. The cruise line is also fully cooperating with local authorities.

Cruise ships remain one of the safest ways to travel

Royal Caribbean is quick to defend its security staff, but incidents like this can leave potential passengers wondering how safe a cruise really is. Are you really safe on a cruise?

The short answer is yes.

According to a 2017 report issued by Dr. James Alan Fox of Northeastern University, “travel by sea aboard commercial cruise ships is exceptionally safe in terms of the risks associated with violent criminal activity.”

Violent Crime Rates per 100,000 Population for the Cruise Industry and U.S. Mainland Cities (Source: Dr. James Alan Fox, cruising.org)
	Homicide Rate		Sexual Assault Rate		Aggravated Assault Rate
Time Period	Cruises	Land	Cruises	Land	Cruises	Land
Jan-Dec 2015	0.0	10.9	3.5	56.1	0.9	412.6
Jan-Dec 2016	0.0	12.3	16.6	61.6	3.8	431.6
Jan-June 2017	0.0	N/A	18.0	N/A	4.0	N/A

Particularly in comparison with crime statistics on land, cruise ships remain one of the safest ways to travel.