In a first for the maritime industry, world’s largest leisure travel company granted approval to screen passenger travel documents against INTERPOL’S I-Checkit global security system.
Carnival, the world’s largest leisure travel company, be the first maritime company to partner with INTERPOL for advanced security screening across its global operations, including its 10 brands and fleet of 101 ships that annually carry nearly 11 million passengers, or about half the global cruise market, to more than 700 ports around the world.
Carnival Corporation has received approval to integrate its global passenger check-in process with INTERPOL’S I-Checkit system, a secure method for screening travel document information against INTERPOL’s Stolen and Lost Travel Documents (SLTD) database, containing over 69 million records from 175 countries.
(Would-be jihadi fighters are increasingly booking tickets on cruise ships to join extremists in battle zones in Syria and Iraq, hoping to bypass stepped-up efforts to thwart them in neighboring Turkey, Interpol officials have told The Associated Press. Courtesy of Wochit News and YouTube)
The approval resulted from a resolution vote held today in Bali, Indonesia, at INTERPOL’S General Assembly, the annual meeting of 190 member countries that comprise the world’s largest international police organization.
Today’s news follows a three-month I-Checkit pilot program on four of Carnival Corporation’s Princess Cruises brand ships.
The trial included 34,000 travel documents that were successfully checked against the SLTD database to demonstrate the system’s ability to enhance security for the global cruise industry.
The full results of the pilot program were presented to INTERPOL’s General Assembly prior to its member countries passing an official resolution that enables Carnival Corporation to expand its I-Checkit deployment among its 10 cruise brands in North America, Europe, Australia and Asia.
Its brands include Carnival Cruise Line, Fathom, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Seabourn, AIDA Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard Line, P&O Cruises (Australia) and P&O Cruises (UK).
Carnival Corporation and INTERPOL can now work together on an expanded partnership agreement to cover a phased rollout of the I-Checkit system across its brands.
By partnering with INTERPOL on a global integration of I-Checkit technology, Carnival Corporation will further strengthen its leading safety and security protocols by creating a single global standard for security screening used throughout its ports of call.
“One of our top priorities at Carnival Corporation is the safety and security of our guests, our crew and our ships,” said Bill Burke, chief maritime officer for Carnival Corporation and retired Vice Admiral of the U.S. Navy.
“As the world’s largest cruise company carrying hundreds of thousands of daily passengers, having a highly effective and efficient security screening process is a crucial part of how we serve our guests every day.”
“Partnering with INTERPOL enables us to seamlessly enhance security across our global fleet while also maintaining our commitment to providing our guests with a great vacation experience.”
“This is another important step for our company and industry as we continue taking proactive measures to enhance the safety and security of our passengers and crew members.”
(Learn More about INTERPOL’s I Checkit screening solution, courtesy of INTERPOL and YouTube)
As Carnival Corporation expands I-Checkit globally, the company’s brands will be able to automatically query the SLTD database before and during the boarding process to see if any passenger travel documents have been reported lost or stolen. To ensure privacy and security, no personal data is accessed or transmitted in this process.
“With its real-time secure global alert system, criminal intelligence potential and compliance framework, I-Checkit provides an invaluable preventative and investigative capability for global policing,” said Michael O’Connell, director of INTERPOL’s operational support and analysis directorate and head of the I-Checkit program.
“I-Checkit’s initiative with Carnival Corporation offers an additional layer of safety in the travel sector by creating an international standard for security screening.”
Additional information on the Interpol I-Checkit system can be found at http://www.interpol.int/INTERPOL-expertise/I-Checkit.
Carnival Corporation & plc is the largest leisure travel company in the world, with a portfolio of 10 cruise brands in North America, Europe, Australia and Asia comprised of Carnival Cruise Line, Fathom, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Seabourn, AIDA Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard, P&O Cruises (Australia) and P&O Cruises (UK).
Together, these brands operate 101 ships visiting over 700 ports around the world and totaling 225,000 lower berths with 18 new ships scheduled to be delivered between 2016 and 2022.
Carnival Corporation & plc also operates Holland America Princess Alaska Tours, the leading tour companies in Alaska and the Canadian Yukon. Traded on both the New York and London Stock Exchanges, Carnival Corporation & plc is the only group in the world to be included in both the S&P500 and the FTSE 100 indices.
