Cruise ship passengers that fall victim of a crime or have a severe accident will now have a direct line to their nation’s representatives while in Port Of Spain.

Taxi drivers, ship chandeliers, police, tour guides and operators, and other tourism stakeholders were given the emergency contact numbers for embassy and consulate representatives from Spain, Germany, Australia, the Netherlands, Britain, Canada, France and the United States, according to staff from the British High Commission

Charles Carvalho, CEO of Carvalho’s Agencies in Port of Spain, said idea is to create a working relationship between agents, tourism authorities, and government agencies, with specific emphasis on the cruise industry. “This would allow Agents like ours to have easy access to the various embassies and high commissions for emergency situations for visiting cruise passengers and crew,” Carvalho said.

The initiative follows an incident last year in which a British cruise passenger was the victim of a crime in Trinidad. Local officials realized later two days passed before the British High Commission was notified. Such victims may be left behind by their ship while reporting a crime or accident, in hospital, or filing an insurance claim. They may need help understanding the language and customs of a host country, filing various reports, coordinating with family or travel partners, and even help getting home, High Commission staff said.