Newly released data from the U.S. Department of Transportation shows 48 crimes were reported aboard cruise ships during the first three months of 2025, continuing a post-pandemic rise in incidents at sea.
The majority of those crimes—33 cases—involved sexual assault, followed by seven reports each of serious physical assault and theft over $10,000.
This is the highest number of cruise-related crimes reported in a first-quarter period since at least 2019, when federal tracking began reporting data quarterly.
Experts attribute part of the increase to cruise ships operating at or near full capacity after the pandemic, which depressed both sailing numbers and incident reporting.
Numbers rose to 17 in Q1 2022, 32 in 2023, and 47 in 2024.
| Year | Reported Incidents (Q1) |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 25 |
| 2020 | 18 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 17 |
| 2023 | 32 |
| 2024 | 47 |
| 2025 | 48 |
While the FBI maintains that “serious crimes can and do happen on the high seas,” cruise industry experts urge perspective. “Millions of people cruise each year,” said Stewart Chiron, a Miami-based analyst known as The Cruise Guy told Fox 13 News. “The numbers were lower during the COVID years partly because ships weren’t sailing at full capacity.”
Chiron said most cruises remain safe, but passengers must stay alert, limit alcohol intake, and use in-cabin safes.
Federal officials and cruise lines continue to work to improve security and transparency.
