Posts in category: Diplomacy

Federal agents boarded two cruise ships in Boston and arrested 11 crew members this week as part of “Operation Tidal Wave”.

They were arrested for their part in the reception and distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and child sexual exploitation material (CSEM).

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Port of Boston, in coordination with Homeland Security Investigations Boston, HSI Fort Lauderdale, and the CBP Fort Lauderdale Human Trafficking Unit, boarded Norwegian Breakaway and Holland America Line’s Volendam to make the arrests.

While federal authorities did not state how many from each ship were arrested, they did report that it was nine citizens of the Philippines, one from Indonesia, and one from Nicaragua.

After federal agents boarded each ship, they searched the crew members’ cabin and their electronic devices.

After consultation with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, all 11 individuals were processed for removal under Section 212(a)(2)(A)(i)(I) of the Immigration and Nationality Act for crimes involving moral turpitude.

“HSI is proud to stand with our colleagues at CBP to reaffirm our message: Anyone who possesses or transports child sexual abuse material is not welcome in the United States and will face serious consequences,” said HSI New England Acting Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey Grimming. “Together, we leverage our unique authorities to seek justice for children victimized and exploited across the globe.”

The individuals were processed with the assistance of each cruise line and are scheduled to depart the United States.

The arrests were part of “Operation Tidal Wave”, a multiagency initiative led by the CBP Office of Field Operations Enforcement Operations Division, in coordination with HSI agents assigned to the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and NCMEC.

“Operation Tidal Wave” has now resulted in 53 cruise ship workers arrested on 11 cruise ships this year. 

Phase 1 took place in San Diego in April and resulted in 27 crew members from six cruise ships being processed and removed from the U.S.

Phase 2 took place in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in June and July and resulted in 15 crew members being arrested on three ships.

Acting Director of Field Operations for CBP’s Boston Field Office Julio Caravia gave the following statement about the arrests:

“Protecting children from exploitation is among our highest priorities, and this operation demonstrates the critical role CBP officers play in identifying and stopping individuals who pose a threat to public safety. Through strong coordination with HSI, NCMEC, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and our law enforcement partners, we will continue to use every available authority to disrupt the possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material and prevent those involved from entering or remaining in the United States.”

A cruise ship has departed on a 77-day cruise that will travel from Australia to South America and visit 57 destinations in 11 countries.

This Grand South Pacific Expedition cruise on Silversea’s Silver Cloud departed from Perth, Australia, and will arrive in Valparaiso, Chile, on November 4, 2026.

The cruise will be divided into four different segments as it visits 57 destinations, including some of the most bucket-list destinations in the world.

Here is a look at the four segments and the incredible destinations the ship will visit during this iconic sailing.

Fremantle to Darwin

The cruise opens along Western Australia’s coast with visits to the Abrolhos Islands, Cape Peron (Shark Bay), North Muiron Island, the Montebello Islands, Dampier Archipelago. The voyage continues, entering the Kimberley for Adele Island, the Buccaneer Archipelago, the Hunter River region, Ashmore Reef, Swift Bay and King George River, concluding in Darwin.

There, guests on the cruise will have the opportunity to explore the abundant marine life of Montgomery Reef or step ashore at Swift Bay to see the ancient Gwion Gwion rock art galleries.

Darwin to Lautoka

The second leg of the cruise will visit 21 destinations across six countries and carry the ship from Indonesia’s Raja Ampat region and Cenderawasih Bay to Vanimo, Madang and Rabaul in Papua New Guinea, on to Santa Ana in the Solomon Islands and Ambrym Island in Vanuatu, before arriving in Lautoka, Fiji.

Along the way, guests can wander the limestone cliffs of Kokas, Indonesia, in search of ancient rock art, and witness Ambrym’s traditional Rom dancers, whose masked performances have been passed down through generations.

Lautoka to Papeete, Tahiti

The third segment of the cruise will visit bucket-list-rich destinations. From Lautoka, the cruise ship stops at 14 destinations and four countries. It starts with a visit to Taveuni and the Ringgold Isles in Fiji, the Vava’u Group in Tonga, Rarotonga and Aitutaki in the Cook Islands before reaching Bora Bora and Rangiroa in French Polynesia and concluding in Papeete.

Guests can snorkel among vibrant reefs off Euaiki Island in Tonga, and swim alongside blacktip reef sharks and stingrays in Bora Bora’s famous lagoon.

Papeete to Valparaiso

The epic voyage’s final stretch visits 12 destinations across three countries, calling at the Marquesas Islands (Hiva Oa, Nuku Hiva, Fatu Hiva) and Mangareva in French Polynesia, Adamstown on Pitcairn Island, and Easter Island and Robinson Crusoe Island in Chile, before ending in Valparaiso.

By Zodiac, guests can explore Fatu Hiva’s Bay of Virgins beneath volcanic pinnacles, and on Pitcairn Island, meet descendants of the HMS Bounty mutineers in one of the world’s most remote inhabited settlements.

Bert Hernandez, president of Silversea, gave the following statement about this epic cruise:

“Our Grand Voyages are the fullest expression of what makes Silversea the leader in destination immersion – the rare luxury of time, paired with unmatched access to the most remote corners of the world. This expedition carries guests from the Kimberley coast to Pitcairn and Easter Island all in a single, continuous journey. As we close the season in the Kimberley, we’re carrying that same spirit of exploration into the South Pacific.”

A search and rescue operation is currently underway off the Scottish coast after a passenger was reported missing from a solar eclipse cruise on an Ambassador Cruise Line vessel.

HM Coastguard (the UK’s national civilian maritime emergency service) and Police Scotland launched a search response after receiving emergency notifications around 8:35 AM on Friday, August 21.

The search effort involves Coastguard helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft, and RNLI lifeboats that are sweeping an area of the North Sea about 40 nautical miles off the coast of Arbroath and Fife.

Nearby commercial vessels also joined to help search teams.

The missing guest was sailing on Ambassador Cruise Line’s 1,248-passenger Ambition, which was completing a two-week solar eclipse itinerary featuring stops in Iceland, the Faroe Islands, and Lerwick in the Shetland Islands.

Ambassador Cruise Line is a British cruise line, currently operating three ships in the fleet.

Discovery and Port Arrival

The ship’s crew did not realize the passenger was missing while sailing to the next destination, which is why tracking data doesn’t show the ship performing a search pattern.

Vessel tracking shows Ambition maintained a continuous southward sailing track past Shetland and Aberdeen, docking at its scheduled final port in Dundee, Scotland, on Friday morning.

Around 7:30 AM, while the ship was pulling into port, a public announcement was made asking the missing guest to contact reception.

After docking in Dundee, the captain notified passengers that disembarkation would be delayed while the crew performed a thorough search of the ship.

About 1,000 passengers were told to remain in designated disembarkation lounges as authorities were notified and the ship was cleared.

Guests have since been allowed to disembark the vessel, and Ambassador Cruise Line confirmed that the captain reported the missing person incident once it was verified the guest was not on board.

Search and rescue operations in the North Sea are ongoing at this time.

In a statement, the cruise line said:

“Having initially been asked to remain on board while the search was carried out, guests have now been cleared to disembark. Ambassador follows stringent search and rescue protocols in line with international maritime safety standards. We continue to work in close collaboration with the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC), The Maritime and Coastguard Agency, HM Coastguard and Police Scotland as the investigation continues.”

MSC Cruises’ newest cruise ship is set to debut in just a few months. But due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and some scheduling shifts, MSC World Asia will be heading to a completely different region than originally planned for her second season.

The cruise line announced several major itinerary changes and updates today affecting both the Western Mediterranean and the Southern Caribbean for the Winter 2027/2028 season.

If you have an upcoming cruise booked on MSC World Europa, MSC World Asia, or MSC Meraviglia, here is everything you need to know about where these ships are actually heading.

MSC World Asia Heading to the Caribbean

When MSC World Asia debuts on December 4, 2026, her initial maiden season in the Western Mediterranean remains unchanged. But her follow-up season for Winter 2027/2028 will look very different than originally planned.

Because MSC World Europa is staying in Europe to cover Mediterranean itineraries, MSC is taking its brand-new 216,000 GT flagship and sending her across the Atlantic to take over the Southern Caribbean.

MSC World Asia will offer 7- and 14-night itineraries with embarkation ports in Fort-de-France (Martinique), Pointe-à-Pitre (Guadeloupe), and Bridgetown (Barbados).

From there, the ship will call on the following ports: Saint Lucia, Grenada, St. Maarten, Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Dominica, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

MSC World Europa Stays in Europe

Originally, MSC had planned to send MSC World Europa back to the Middle East for the Winter 2027/2028 season. But the cruise line isn’t taking any chances with the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, and instead of hoping things have settled down by then is being proactive in some early schedule changes.

Instead of moving across the globe, MSC World Europa will remain in the Western Mediterranean to offer week-long, seven-night cruises. So yes, as the name so fittingly suggests, MSC World Europa will stay in Europe, at least for now.

The ship will run round-trip sailings calling at ports like Barcelona (Spain), Marseille (France), Genoa (Italy), Civitavecchia (Italy), Messina (Italy) and Valletta (Malta).

MSC Meraviglia Stepping Aside in the South Caribbean

With MSC World Asia now heading to the Southern Caribbean in 2027, MSC Meraviglia’s itineraries are seeing a change as well. The ship which was originally scheduled to handle MSC’s Southern Caribbean routes during the Winter 2027/2028 season, will now be moving to a different part of the world.

MSC has not yet officially announced where MSC Meraviglia will be redeployed for Winter 2027/2028. The cruise line noted that bookings for her original Caribbean sailings are being updated, and passengers will be contacted directly as new itinerary details are finalized.

What Happens to Impacted Bookings?

The schedule juggling of three major ships in the fleet directly impacts quite a few passengers already booked on those vessels.

According to a press release from the cruise line, MSC Cruises is reaching out to impacted guests and giving them these options:

1. MSC World Europa (Middle East Bookings): Passengers who were originally booked on MSC World Europa’s canceled Middle East sailings are being contacted directly. They can choose to move their reservation to another MSC sailing or request a full refund.
2. MSC World Asia (Med Bookings) & MSC Meraviglia (Caribbean Bookings): Guests who booked MSC World Asia’s second-year Mediterranean runs, or MSC Meraviglia’s Southern Caribbean sailings, will see their reservations automatically updated and “will be contacted directly about any individual changes”.