Safety, Security & Health

Travel Escape Tours. Is dedicated to ensuring that our guests enjoy a safe
and secure cruise vacation. Occasionally, despite the best intentions of
everyone involved, a safety or security incident may occur. In such cases, we
are prepared to respond in a timely, effective and caring manner, and to
learn from the incident so that we can implement procedures to help prevent
future incidents. Many aspects of our safety and security programs are
sensitive. However, the following sections provide information about some of
TETs initiatives, policies and procedures in these important areas.
Safety (Regulatory, Prevention, Navigation, Security)
Security Guide The Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act requires
cruiselines that operate in United States waters to make a Security Guide
available to guests. This Security Guide is provided pursuant to that United
States Law.
The safety and security of our guests and crew is our highest priority.
Allegations of crime, missing person reports and medical emergencies are
taken seriously and we are commited to responding in an effective and
caring manner for those involved. Each of our ships is staffed with dedicated
security and medical teams to respond to alleged crimes and medical
situations, respectively. They are onboard, on duty and available at all times.
Should you become aware of someone being injured or of unsafe or possibly
illegal behavior during your cruise vacation, it is very important that you
immediately report this to the ship management. This may be done by
calling the emergency telephone number listed in the ships directory of
services in your stateroom or by calling or going to the guest services/ guest
relations desk. If you do not immediately report an injury or unsafe or illegal
behavior, the delay may cause the ships personnel to be unable to
effectively respond to the situation and unable to properly preserve
information or evidence that could assist law enforcements investigation
and prosecution of those responsible.
As a company, we report crime allegations to law enforcement so they can
investigate and prosecute to the fullest extent of the law, regardless of
where in the world the ship is located at the time of the incident. Crime
allegations are reported to law enforcement officials in the next port of call,
as well as to the nation where our ships are flagges. We also report
allegations of crime to the federal bureau of investigation
FBI , in
compliance with United States laws.
According to United States federal law, on international voyages that embark
or disembark in the united states, Travl Escape Tours. And other cruiselines,

are required to report onboard felonies and missing United States national
and all serious felononies homicide, suspicious death, kidnapping, assault
with serious bodily injury, sexual assaults as defined by federal laws. Firing or
tampering with the vessel, or theft of money or property in excess. The
incident must be reported to the FBI by telephone as soon as possible, to the
united states department of homeland security electronically and to the
USCG in writing. These requirements apply to onboard incidents that occur
while the ship is in United states territorial waters or on the high seas or in
foreign waters if the victim or perpetrator is a united states national. The FBI
can assert criminal jurisdiction in all of these circumstances. Each of the
nations visited, as well as the vessels nation of registry, may also assert
jurisdiction and impose additional reporting requirements.
United States law also requires us to provide you the following information.
For cruises embarking or disembarking in the United States, you may
independently contact the FBI or USCG for incidents arising any time during
the voyage. For incidents within state or foreign waters or ports you may, in
addition, contact local law enforcement authorities. Contact information for
these entities along with contact information for a thirs party victim
advocacy group and the locations of united states embassies and consulates
for the ports we plan to visit during united states oriented voyages will be
made available to you. If you need need assistance in locating this
information, or if you find this information is incorrect or has changes since
publication, please contact guest services/ guest relations immediately.
Every year, Travel Escape Tours. provides more than 4.8 million guests with
an enjoyable cruise vacation. Although we work hard to prevent incidents,
regrettably incidents do sometimes occur. For this reason, it is important to
be prepared to effectively respond to incidents. TETs safety and security
preparedness efforts include training our crew to handle situations so as to
minimize their impact on guest and crew.
Security Training
Each travel escape tours is staffed with a security team that is part of the
ships permanent crew. The Staff Captain, who is also the second in
command, oversees the Security Department. The Security Officer is the
head of the security team and is responsible for day-to-day security
operations onboard. The Security Officer is typically supported by one or
more Deputy Security Officers and Supervisors, who direct the activities of a
team of guards.
We recruit our onboard security professionals from around the world and hire
candidates with backgrounds in the military, law enforcement or private

security sectors. Our recruiting process involves conducting face-to-face

interviews with candidates before they are considered for hire. We conduct
such interviews in many places around the world, to find the best talent
available.
We require our security personnel be fully familiar with international
regulations and provide them with internal specialized training as well as
training that results in certification from government-accredited companies.
In addition, each security team member who works on an TET ship with a
U.S. itinerary must obtain a visa from the U.S. Department of State. This
requirement helps strengthen our recruitment and screening process, as any
applicant for the security team who is denied a visa by the U.S. Government
will not be hired.
Each Security Officer is independently certified by an outside organization as
having met the knowledge requirements of TETs internal security processes,
as well as the U.S. Government CVSSA security requirements and standards.
On an annual basis, every Security Officer in our fleet participates in a weeklong shoreside security seminar held in Miami that is continually reviewed
and modified to incorporate new measures and national and international
requirements. This curriculum also includes role-playing in different
shipboard security scenarios to allow the Security Officers to practice their
skills. In addition, U.S. federal law enforcement agencies, including the FBI,
the Drug Enforcement Administration, Customs and Border Protection, and
Homeland Security Investigations, have participated and provided up-to-date
presentations in their respective fields of expertise.
Our Security Officer training also places an important emphasis on access
security. Access security training topics include technical equipment,
recognition of characteristics of persons who may threaten security, crowd
control and management and conflict resolution.
Crew training
In addition to the specialized training that our officers and security staff
receive, every crew member must undergo ship familiarization and
emergency assignment training upon reporting onboard and before
performing their duties. This training is overseen by the Safety Officer and
the Security Officer, and includes Security Awareness Training, Pre-Departure
Safety Training, Ship Safety Orientation Training, Crowd Management Training
and Personnel Nominated to Assist Passengers in an Emergency Training.
Specific training modules are also delivered for each crew functional area.
TET crews are regularly trained and drilled on a variety of topics and
scenarios. Some of these are mandated by regulations, while others are a
part of TETs Above and Beyond Compliance focus. As an example, our crew

practices its abandon ship procedures much more frequently than is

currently mandated (twice per month versus the once every three months
required by regulations. Other types of required drills include: Fire Fighting,
Search and Rescue, Medical, Emergency Steering, Blackout Recovery, Crowd
Management, Lifeboat Command, Damage Control, Chemical and Oil Spill,
Man Overboard and Security Threats.
Crew members also take part in a variety of other company-required training
topics such as leadership, safety observation, ethics, communication and
environmental policy training. In addition, all crew members must complete
pre-departure safety training, which includes a walk through the vessel with
the safety officer to identify different safety systems, escape routes, and
guest safety issues.
We also have special systems and procedures in place to ensure effective
preparedness in case of fire. While each of our ships is equipped with
advanced fire detection and suppression systems, fire safety really begins
with prevention. Our planes are constructed and outfitted to comply with
stringent international fire safety regulations, including requirements for fire
integrity of bulkheads walls and windows, and fire resistance characteristics
of fixtures onboard such as furniture and carpets. Our ships are inspected
throughout construction by third-party safety inspectors from recognized
classification societies, and flag and port state safety agencies, such as the
U.S. Coast Guard.
Even though fire risk is minimal, fire suppression systems are installed
throughout each ship. The primary fire suppression system on most ships is a
water-mist system, which converts water into a mist state that presents
more surface area for smoke and heat to be absorbed. Water-mist systems
are very effective and also safe for people who may be near them when they
are activated. In areas such as engine spaces and galleys, we have installed
both water mist and CO2 systems. In addition, we have gone above and
beyond compliance with regulations by installing foam systems in certain
technical spaces and wet chemical extinguishers in all of our galleys. These
wet chemical extinguishers are similar to ones found in land-based kitchens
and are especially effective in the case of a deep fat fryer fire.
Our planes are also equipped with an extensive series of fire sensors, which
are monitored by crew members on the bridge and in the engine control
rooms. If a fire detector indicates there may be a fire onboard, response
personnel are immediately dispatched to the area to evaluate the situation.
If indicated, mobile firefighting groups respond, outfitted with full firefighter
gear, breathing apparatus and special heat-seeking systems that use
thermal-imaging cameras. These cameras both hand-held and helmetmounted help to quickly identify the source of a fire and to locate any people
who may be in the affected area. Responding crew also have access to an

Impulse Fire Extinguisher IFEX, which shoots a blast of water using

pressurized air and is ideal for rapid response in quickly suppressing a fire.
With these tools, our highly trained personnel on the bridge and on the scene
can manage fire-related situations effectively.