By
Rebecca Gibson |
France-based cruise operator Ponant has started to implement Interpol’s I-Checkit passenger screening system to improve security onboard its ships worldwide.
Ponant trialled the system between January and March 2019, checking passengers’ travel documents against multiple Interpol databases, including the Stolen and Lost Travel Documents (SLTD) database, which contains more than 87.5 million records from 177 countries. The company began a phased roll out of the system on 1 July.
“As a cruise company carrying thousands of passengers annually, having a highly effective and efficient security screening process is a crucial part of our corporate social responsibility in terms of how we serve our guests every day, worldwide,” said Jean Emmanuel Sauvée, president of Ponant. “This partnership with Interpol reflects our strong intention to set the security standards across our fleet as high as our service standards and our commitment to protecting the environment. This represents another important step for our industry as we continue to enhance our efforts on the safety and security of our passengers and crew members.”
Once I-Checkit is implemented, Ponant will be able to automatically query Interpol’s SLTD database before and during the boarding process to see if any passenger travel documents have been reported lost or stolen. To ensure privacy and security, no personal data is accessed or transmitted in this process.
“I-Checkit’s initiative with Ponant offers an additional layer of safety in the travel sector by establishing an international standard for security screening,” said Harald Arm, director of Interpol’s Operational Support and Analysis Directorate, and head of the I-Checkit programme. “It provides an invaluable preventative and investigative capability for global policing. It is also important in raising awareness with travellers on the need to only travel with valid identity documents.”