Two Carnival Cruise Line crew members from India and Indonesia were arrested in New Orleans on child pornography charges.
Abdhul Rouvoof Shaik, an Indian national who disembarked from the Carnival Liberty on July 14, was found sharing inappropriate materials involving minors in a WhatsApp group chat.
Indonesian Reza Heta Pratama debarked Carnival Valor on July 18 after colleagues’ harassment complaints led to his termination. Pratama had similar material on his phone and laptop, which he had obtained from Telegram groups.
Both men admitted to possessing and sharing explicit content. They have been booked for the transportation and distribution of illicit material involving children. Shaik and Pratama are waiting for their arraignment in Louisiana’s federal court.
Carnival Cruise Line has zero tolerance for such behavior and cooperates fully with law enforcement.
The arrests are part of a broader crackdown on child pornography within the cruise industry, with several crew members from various cruise lines already apprehended this year.
Earlier Crew Member Arrests
Last April, a crew member from Disney Cruise Line (DCL) faced charges for possessing child exploitation material. Forty-four-year-old Tirso Anthony Neri was working on the Disney Dream when he was detained. It was the third arrest of a DCL employee for such charges in 2024.
A Silversea employee was also arrested last May for the involuntary manslaughter of her child. The female crew member allegedly concealed her pregnancy and delivery because she was afraid of losing her job.
When authorities boarded the ship and conducted an inspection, the deceased baby was found on the mother’s bed, possibly dying of neglect and starvation.
In December 2023, a crew member who worked as a youth counselor onboard Celebrity Silhouette confessed to inappropriately touching one of the children under his care. He was later charged with abusive sexual contact of a minor under 12.
