Customs and Border Protection officers and Boston Homeland Security Investigations agents boarded NCL ships in Boston last weekend and arrested 11 cruise ship workers during a child sexual abuse material investigation. The workers were then processed for deportation after searches of living quarters and electronic devices.
The ships were MS Volendam and Norwegian Breakaway, docked at Flynn Cruiseport Boston. Officials said the arrested workers included nine citizens of the Philippines, one citizen of Indonesia, and one citizen of Nicaragua.
Flynn Cruiseport Boston boardings
Officials said the operation began on board the two ships while they were in Boston. Norwegian Breakaway carries 4,000 passengers, and Massport in April announced it as the largest ship to ever port in Boston and its first year here.
The arrests turned a shipboard investigation into immediate immigration action. Officials said all 11 individuals were processed for deportation for crimes involving moral turpitude under the Immigration and Nationality Act.
That legal step matters because it places the workers on a deportation track after the searches, even before any criminal case is laid out in public. The question now is whether the Massachusetts US attorney’s office will bring criminal charges.
Norwegian Cruise Line and Holland America
Norwegian Cruise Line said, “The safety, security, and well-being of our guests are of paramount importance, and we remain committed to maintaining a safe and secure environment across our fleet.” Holland America said, “These allegations are deeply disturbing, and we have zero tolerance for criminal behavior,” and said it immediately terminated the individuals involved.
Both cruise lines said they are fully cooperating with authorities. The arrests left 11 workers facing removal from the United States while the criminal side of the case stayed unresolved in public.
For passengers and crew connected to MS Volendam and Norwegian Breakaway, the practical change is already in place: the employees named in the operation are no longer in service and are being handled through deportation processing. What happens next depends on whether prosecutors decide to file charges.
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