Carnival signs deal with Interpol

Carnival Corporation, the world’s biggest cruise company, has announced a partnership with Interpol, the international security organisation.

The deal, which is a first in the maritime industry, means that Carnival’s cruise brands will screen passenger travel documents against Interpol’s I-Checkit global security global security system – which governments use to track wanted criminals.

The technology will be used across Carnival’s ten brands and 101 ships, to screen the 11 million passengers that travel with the corporation every year.

I-Checkit includes a register of stolen and lost travel documents, containing details of 69 million records from 175 countries.

Carnival has been trialling the programme on four Princess ships.

“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.”

“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 programme. “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.”