Cruise passengers 'need to know rights'

Holidaymakers should know what their rights are on the open seas before booking a cruise, the International Cruise Victims vice president says.

Mark Brimble, whose ex-wife Dianne died of a drug overdose aboard a P&O Cruises ship in 2002, said most incidents on cruises go unreported because victims fear their attackers may throw them overboard.

Crew members who fall victim also face the threat of losing their job if they complain.

It is estimated that one person goes overboard on a cruise ship every two weeks, Mr Brimble claimed.

"The cruise industry is cleaning up its image but it may not necessarily be cleaning up its act," Mr Brimble told a victimology conference in Perth on Tuesday.

Mr Brimble said cruise ships were like small towns, with the captain a non-democratic mayor who had discretion over what happened to victims and the alleged perpetrators.

It was also difficult to prosecute someone back on land because if something happened in international waters, it was not clear which government was responsible.

"Our families should be offered the same safety and security on cruise ships that they are afforded on the mainland anywhere in the world," he said.

Mr Brimble said independent authorities should be established to govern cruise ships and passengers should be made aware of their rights on board before they book.