NCL America feels the heat as anti-terrorism effort backfires

摘要

All crew are told to report suspicious activity, to serve as management's eyes and ears for possible terrorism threats.rnBut as the Pride of Aloha incident makes clear, honest crew diligence can spawn a security -and legal - fiasco if the original report is distorted as it winds its way up the management chain.rnNCL America reached a settlement in May with the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) following the dismissal of six Yemeni-born crew aboard the cruise ship Pride of Aloha. NCL America agreed to pay these crew members $485,000 to settle the discrimination suit, which stemmed from misguided terrorism fears in July 2004.rnThe trove of depositions, internal emails and other documents brought into public view during the case offers a rare glimpse of security protocols, confidentialrnFBI information and the ways in which shipboard and corporate decision-making on security can go awry.rnThe whistle-blower was Eric Tedtaotao, of Guam, a crew member who had been lied to about his pay by a recruiter. As he complained to his wife about NCL on the crew smoking deck (where he could get a cell signal), Tedtaotao had several conversations with a Middle Eastern crew member who was bitterly angry at Americans.