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US federal authorities detained 11 cruise ship crew members in Boston as part of a multi-agency operation targeting individuals suspected of possessing or handling child sexual abuse material.
The crew members were taken into custody when HAL-Holland America Line's Volendam and NCL-Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Breakaway arrived at the Port of Boston on August 15th and 16th. The action formed part of Operation Tidal Wave, an ongoing initiative involving US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force resources.
According to authorities, the operation focuses on cruise ship employees suspected of possessing, receiving, producing, using or distributing child sexual exploitation material. In the Boston operation, officials searched the crew members' accommodation and electronic devices before taking enforcement action.
Authorities have not identified the 11 individuals or disclosed their positions aboard the ships. Nine are Philippine nationals, while one is from Indonesia and another from Nicaragua.
No federal criminal charges against the 11 crew members were announced. Instead, authorities said they were processed for removal from the United States under the Immigration and Nationality Act on grounds relating to crimes involving moral turpitude. Immigration removal proceedings are distinct from a criminal conviction, and the information released by authorities does not establish that the individuals were convicted of a criminal offence.
The US Attorney's Office was consulted during the operation. CBP officials said the enforcement action demonstrated the agency's role in identifying individuals considered to pose a threat to public safety, while HSI New England said the operation reinforced the position that people involved in the possession or transportation of child sexual abuse material would face enforcement action in the United States.
Volendam arrived in Boston on August 15th during an 8-day voyage that had departed Montreal on August 8th. The itinerary included Canadian ports and Portland, Maine.
Norwegian Breakaway arrived the following day after an 8-day round-trip cruise from Boston with calls at Halifax, Nova Scotia, and King's Wharf, Bermuda. The ship is scheduled to continue operating from Boston through early November.
Both ships continued their planned operations following the removal of the crew members, with no reported disruption to their schedules.
Operation Tidal Wave extends beyond the Boston operation and involves cooperation between CBP, HSI and other specialist law-enforcement resources. Cruise ship crew members arriving at US ports can be subject to immigration and border inspections, including examination of electronic devices when additional screening is warranted.
The operation also illustrates the distinction between immigration enforcement and criminal prosecution in cases involving foreign crew members. The actions involving the 11 individuals remain specific to those detained and do not provide grounds for generalising about the wider cruise ship workforce.
