Traveling on a cruise ship is an amazing and entertaining way to learn about life in other countries and simply relax. But all the fun ends when somebody gets into trouble. From this article, you can learn all the basic information about crime regulation in neutral waters.

The nuances of maritime law

Law enforcement on ships depends on the place where the vehicle was when the crime happened. It’s regulated by maritime law, which consists of different policies meant specifically for sea travel.

The UN has various conventions to simplify following maritime law. Usually, cruise vehicles follow the laws of their registration countries. In case the ship is traveling in the open sea, the criminal can be locked into one of its rooms till the vehicle arrives at a port. Then, the local authorities will deal with that person according to their laws.

Crimes in neutral waters

Legal procedures after the ship’s arrival also depend on the location of the incident. In case it occurred somewhere in the neutral waters, they are done according to the ship’s country of registration. But if it happens near some country’s shores (no more than twelve sea miles from them), this country’s police have the right to act.

For example, if a ship is registered in Nicaragua, the criminal will be punished according to the Nicaraguan legal system. But if the registration country is the United States, everything can get more complicated since this usually means FBI participation.

How can the FBI get involved?

The FBI can intervene in case a US citizen is involved in some way (either as the offender or the victim), the incident happened in the waters of this country, or the vehicle is US-registered. Most likely, the FBI will work together with local police or as a secondary side.

In some cases, things can get very strange. For instance, if you kill or rob someone in Los Angeles, California, then the crime will be investigated only by the LA police. But if you do it in the open sea — for example, 15 nautical miles from the Californian shore, the FBI will investigate your case too, no matter whether you arrive in the USA or Canada. And you’ll be going to face the American legal system, not the Canadian one.

The conclusion from this article is clear: no matter how neutral the waters are, it doesn’t mean that people are allowed to commit crimes there. Please, don’t do it. You will still have to answer for it.