Following the murder of a crew member on the island of Roatan, Norwegian Cruise Line has temporarily suspended all calls at the island port.
On Sunday, April 6th, a Norwegian Pearl crew member was killed while ashore in Roatan, Honduras. The crew member, who is characterized as Filipino, was reportedly shot after refusing to surrender his cell phone to an armed robber. The robber, who was standing only a short distance away, fatally shot the crew member. The suspect in the shooting has been apprehended and awaiting trial.
Following this fatal encounter, Norwegian Cruise Line today announced the Norwegian Dawn and Jewel will both skip their scheduled calls in the port this week.
A statement from Norwegian reads, “Norwegian Cruise Line is shocked and saddened by the tragic death of a crew member from Norwegian Pearl in Roatan, Honduras on Sunday, April 6, 2014. Police reports indicate the crew member was killed during an attempted robbery while in Roatan. Local officials are investigating and have the alleged suspect in custody. In an abundance of caution for our guests and crew, we have cancelled calls to Roatan this week for Norwegian Dawn and Norwegian Jewel. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of the crew member.”
While crime is typically rare in many cruise ports, crimes against crew members and guests in Roatan seem to be on the uptick in the past few months. Earlier this year, five guests from the Carnival Valor were robbed at gunpoint on the island of Roatan. The United States Department of State currently has a an active travel advisory for Honduras, stating, “The level of crime and violence in Honduras remains critically high.” The State Department warns citizens traveling to Honduras to exercise caution and to remain vigilant while in the country.
2 replies on “Norwegian Temporarily Suspends Calls In Roatan Following Crew Murder”
travelled here with ncl a few years back ,went on organised beach trip with the ship ,perhaps this is the safest way to go
We have travelled there with NCL also and felt comfortable and safe, but times do change and so glad that NCL considers all of our safety, including their work family.