SAMMAMISH, Wash. - April 2, 2007 - Ross Klein, blogger, author and professor at Memorial University of Newfoundland in Canada, testified last week to the U.S. Congress about his analysis of shipboard crime. His statistics subsequently were cast into doubt by a more thorough analysis of the data.

Dr. Klein's testimony, sponsored by the International Cruise Victim's Association (ICV), asserted that the sexual assault rate on Royal Caribbean ships is 48.1 per 100,000 on RCI vs. 32.2 on land: "One has a 50% greater chance of sexual assault on a Royal Caribbean International ship as compared to the US generally." Dr. Klein explained that he believes figures for Royal Caribbean are comparable to those for the industry as a whole and were used "for the sake of clarity" but he did not appear to have analyzed data from any other lines.

These figures contrast with analysis by Dr. James Fox, who provided testimony to Congress on March 7, 2006 on behalf of the cruise lines. Dr. Fox found that the rate of sexual assault on cruise ships is 17.6 per 100,000. Dr. Fox is the Lipman Family Professor of Criminal Justice at Northeastern University, and a visiting fellow with the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics.

Dr. Klein did not provide an explanation for why his figures differed from those previously presented. However, in further Congressional testimony last week, Terry Dale, President of the Cruise Line Industry Association, pointed out that Dr. Klein's analysis compares two statistics that are not actually comparable: the 48.1 for RCI includes relatively minor incidents and complaints, whereas land-based incidents include only "forcible rape".

Dr. Klein runs the Cruise Junkie blog, which details his personal collection of cruise ship incidents as well as his boycott of RSSC due to perceived poor service on a cruise in May of 2000.

The written testimony of Dr. Klein and of other witnesses from the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee hearing (entitled "Crimes Against Americans on Cruise Ships") is posted on the Committee's website: http://transportation.house.gov/hearings/hearingdetail.aspx?NewsID=112