Jurisdiction can be tricky when it comes to cruise ships. In general the party that has jurisdiction will be determined based on the location of the ship at the time the crime is committed.
For example, if the assault occurs while the ship is at port, the authorities of that port will have jurisdiction over the crime. Countries within 12 nautical miles of the ship also have jurisdiction.
So what happens if the ship is at sea when the assault occurs? Jurisdiction will fall to the ship’s registered country. With jurisdiction being determined primarily based on location, it’s extremely important that you have a skilled cruise injury lawyer on your side to ensure you receive fair treatment and that justice is obtained.
https://www.marlaw.com/maritime-personal-injury/cruise-ship-injuries/assault-on-a-cruise-ship/
A lot of cruise ships are registered to countries that aren’t really able to deal with this sort of thing.
I’ll take a Norwegian cruise. When I get into a brawl, they’ll sentence me to a free community college course.
Yeah. Put it on the mountain of reasons not to go on a cruise ship.