A former executive with Norwegian Cruise Line has been arrested on allegations of defrauding the cruise line. Thomas Markell, 54, who previously held the position of Senior Director of Events, was detained in Argentina.

He was indicted in the U.S. for his alleged role in a fraud scheme and is awaiting extradition.

The indictment claims he defrauded the cruise line of approximately $2 million between June 2021 and September 2023.

Ex-executive accused of setting up bogus vendor company

Authorities say he abused his position, which allowed him to authorize payments to vendors for various corporate event goods and services. He has been accused of setting up a shell company that fraudulently submitted invoices to the cruise line.

The allegations involve fraudulent activity tied to The Gifting Company, a St. Louis, Missouri, business that offered corporate gifts. Two other individuals are also named as accomplices in the scheme.

Multiple invoices were submitted and paid, with two individual payments as high as $165,000.

Markell is accused of routing payments through various intermediaries into third-party accounts in an effort to conceal the money trail. At least one payment was allegedly deposited into an account controlled by his girlfriend.

Markell faces extradition to the U.S.

Markell faces multiple counts of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. The American citizen allegedly fled the U.S. last year after the investigation was opened. He was arrested on an Interpol red notice in the Palermo neighborhood of Buenos Aires.

He is being held in the custody of the Federal Criminal and Correctional Court in Buenos Aires while extradition proceedings progress.

The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri issued a warrant for his arrest in October 2025 following his departure from the country.

A crew member has died and four passengers were hospitalized after a fire broke out aboard the World Legacy cruise ship near Singapore early Friday morning.

The cruise ship fire started around 4 a.m. on deck nine while the vessel was anchored at Raffles Reserved Anchorage. Singapore Civil Defence Force marine firefighters responded and were able to contain the fire to a single deck.

There were 271 passengers onboard at the time. All were safely evacuated to HarbourFront Ferry Terminal. Authorities said 139 of the passengers were Singaporean nationals.

The vessel was also carrying 388 crew members, all foreign nationals. One crew member, identified as an Indonesian national, later died. Officials said the Indonesian embassy has been notified. The cause of death has not been publicly detailed.

Four passengers were taken to a local hospital for medical assessment. Their conditions have not been released.

Fire Cause Under Investigation

The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore. Officials have not confirmed where or how the blaze started.

A safety zone has been established around the ship while investigators and classification surveyors assess damage and conduct inspections. A core crew remains onboard to support essential operations.

The ship will not be cleared to sail again until it passes full safety checks.

Impacted Cruises

The company said affected guests will receive refunds and that passengers booked on impacted sailings are being contacted directly.

The World Legacy offers short sailings between Singapore and Johor, Malaysia, with more than 300 cabins and onboard amenities including specialty dining, lounges, private karaoke suites, live entertainment, and a casino.

Operator World Cruises describes it as “Singapore and Johor’s first true lifestyle playground at sea.” The company said it is cooperating fully with authorities and will refund guests booked on any impacted sailings.

A 29-year-old man was arrested at PortMiami on Monday, February 17, after U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers found child abuse material on his cellphone following a Royal Caribbean cruise, the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office said.

Basilios Grayeb, of Haifa, Israel, was taken into custody aboard Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas after CBP officers received a suspicious activity report related to the purchase of abusive material.

Officers boarded the ship and arrested Grayeb before he could disembark through normal passenger processing.

According to the arrest report, a CBP officer conducted a border search of Grayeb’s cellphone and found a video depicting the sexual abuse of a young child.

Grayeb confessed after being advised of his Miranda rights, according to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office.

He was transported to Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, where he was being held on a $2,500 bond as of Tuesday morning. An immigration hold has also been placed on Grayeb by federal authorities.

How the Arrest Happened

The arrest followed a tip that reached CBP before the ship docked.

Rather than waiting for Grayeb to pass through the terminal, investigators boarded the Freedom of the Seas directly, a procedure that has become more common at South Florida ports as authorities have stepped up screening of cruise passengers and crew for child sexual abuse material.

CBP has broad authority to conduct border searches of electronic devices, including cellphones, without a warrant when passengers are entering the United States.

Those searches have led to a series of arrests at PortMiami and Port Everglades in recent years involving both passengers and crew members.

A Pattern of Arrests at South Florida Ports

This arrest is not an isolated case. A Canadian cruise passenger was arrested at PortMiami in November 2024 after a CBP border search found illicit material on his phone following a cruise.

A foster parent traveling on Carnival Horizon was arrested at PortMiami in September 2025 under similar circumstances.

Legal commentators have noted that Florida is the only U.S. state with laws that specifically empower state law enforcement to investigate and prosecute such crimes committed aboard cruise ships departing from and returning to Florida ports.

A 73-year-old man from Mumbai, India, was arrested at Port Canaveral this week after he allegedly touched an underage girl aboard Royal Caribbean’s Explorer of the Seas while the ship was sailing in international waters, according to the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office.

Rajendra Sheth was taken into custody on February 16 after the ship returned to Florida. He is charged with lewd or lascivious conduct and is being held on a $35,000 bond. His next court date is March 12.

What Allegedly Happened

According to a BCSO affidavit, obtained by News 6, the alleged victim told investigators she was waiting in the FlowRider area of the ship when Sheth approached her and began talking to her.

He then allegedly grabbed her on the buttocks multiple times while she was wearing a two-piece bathing suit.

Investigators reviewed surveillance footage from the ship, which they said corroborated the victim’s account. Royal Caribbean security also recorded Sheth on a body-worn camera.

In that recording, according to deputies, Sheth acknowledged that he knew the girl was a minor and admitted to touching her.

The Brevard County Sheriff’s Office was notified of the incident on Monday. Sheth was arrested when Explorer of the Seas returned to Port Canaveral.

How Cruise Lines Handle Incidents at Sea

Crimes committed aboard cruise ships in international waters fall under U.S. federal jurisdiction when the vessel is flagged or sailing to a U.S. port.

The Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act requires cruise lines to report certain crimes, including sexual offenses, to the FBI. In this case, local authorities took jurisdiction upon the ship’s return to Port Canaveral.

Royal Caribbean has not issued a statement on the incident. Sheth remains in custody at Brevard County Jail.

Passengers boarding Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas on Wednesday faced delayed embarkation after a power outage at the Port of Los Angeles, pushing the start of boarding back roughly two hours.

Royal Caribbean notified guests by text message, advising them not to arrive at the terminal before the updated boarding time.

What Caused the Power Outage

Southern California was hit with heavy rain and strong winds overnight, causing intermittent power outages across the region.

The California Highway Patrol received a report around 9:10 a.m. of low-hanging power lines on the southbound side of the I-110 freeway in San Pedro. A utility pole fell, forcing authorities to close the southbound lanes at Pacific Avenue and Channel Street for several hours. No injuries were reported.

The I-110 is the primary freeway connecting to the Port of Los Angeles, and the lane closures added to traffic delays caused by terminal disruptions, compounding the situation for passengers driving to the port.

It is not confirmed whether the downed lines directly supplied power to the cruise terminal, but the timing aligns with the port outage.

Impact on Embarkation

Passengers who had been aboard the ship’s previous sailing and were waiting to disembark reported that the outage disrupted the terminal’s automated customs processing systems. Facial recognition machines remained powered but lost network connectivity, requiring agents to manually check passports.

The incident highlights how dependent modern cruise terminal operations are on continuous power and network connectivity, particularly for security and passenger verification systems.

About Quantum of the Seas

Quantum of the Seas is the lead ship in Royal Caribbean’s Quantum class, built in 2014 at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany.

The 168,000-gross-ton ship accommodates up to 4,905 guests and began its current deployment from Los Angeles in November 2025, offering three- to six-night cruises to Baja California.

It was the only ship docked at the Port of Los Angeles this week, so no other vessels were affected by the outage.

Disney Cruise Line is deploying the Disney Wish to Europe for the first time, marking the first time a Wish-class ship has sailed in the region.

As part of its 2027 summer schedule, the ship will offer cruises in the Mediterranean and Northern Europe between April 25 and September 10, 2027, departing from ports in England, Spain, and Italy.

After crossing the Atlantic, the Disney Wish will begin with sailings from Southampton before repositioning to Barcelona in May.

From there, it will offer Mediterranean itineraries sailing from both Barcelona and Civitavecchia, the port serving Rome. In mid-July, the ship returns to Southampton for Northern Europe sailings before heading back to North America.

The Disney Wish is currently sailing year-round on three- and four-night Bahamas cruises from Port Canaveral, calling at Disney’s private destinations Castaway Cay and Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point. The Disney Dream will take over those sailings during the summer while Wish is in Europe.

About Disney Wish

The Disney Wish was built at Germany’s Meyer Werft shipyard and entered service in 2022. The 140,000-gross-ton ship carries approximately 2,500 passengers and is the first vessel in Disney’s Wish class. Disney has two additional Wish-class ships on order.

Rest of the Disney Cruise Line 2027 Fleet

Disney also announced it will deploy two ships in Alaska for the second consecutive year in 2027, with the Disney Wonder and Disney Magic sailing from Vancouver.

The Disney Treasure and Disney Fantasy will sail from Port Canaveral to the Caribbean and Bahamas, while the Disney Destiny will operate from Port Everglades.

The Disney Adventure will continue sailing from Singapore through late 2027.

A proposed cruise terminal in Manatee County, Florida, is facing mounting opposition, with more than 18,900 people signing a Change.org petition urging officials to reject the plan.

SSA Marine, in partnership with Tampa-based Slip Knott LLC, has unveiled plans for the Knott-Cowen Cruise Port on a 328-acre site near the Sunshine Skyway Bridge.

Mega-ships to Tampa?

The goal is to accommodate the industry’s largest ships, including Royal Caribbean’s Icon-class and Carnival’s Excel-class vessels, which cannot currently sail under the bridge to reach Port Tampa Bay.

If built, the facility would open the Tampa Bay region to mega-ship sailings and potentially add new Gulf Coast departure options for cruisers who now drive to ports like Miami or Port Canaveral for the newest ships.

Project backers point to projected economic benefits, including more than 31,000 construction jobs, $1.6 billion in wages, and an estimated $40 million in annual tax revenue.

But the location has sparked intense debate. The proposed site sits near Rattlesnake Key and the Terra Ceia Aquatic Preserve, one of Florida’s few remaining largely undeveloped coastal areas.

Critics argue that dredging a 4.5-mile channel to depths of up to 60 feet could damage seagrass beds, mangroves, and wildlife habitats, including areas used by manatees and local fisheries.

At a February 14 rally at Seabreeze Park in Terra Ceia, hundreds gathered with signs reading “Kayaks Not Cruise Ships” and “Save Rattlesnake Key.”

Environmental groups, fishing guides, and residents raised concerns about ship emissions, wastewater discharge, increased traffic, and long-term impacts on eco-tourism and recreational boating.

Some opponents have also pointed to SSA Marine’s past environmental violations, adding scrutiny despite the company’s pledge to preserve Rattlesnake Key.

For cruisers, the outcome could shape future sailing options along Florida’s Gulf Coast. If approved, the project could bring larger ships to the area.

If delayed or rejected after expected public hearings in 2026, cruise passengers looking for mega-ships would likely continue using South Florida ports.

No formal applications have been filed yet, although Manatee County officials say the review process will be data-driven.