A 13-year-old girl aboard a cruise ship was allegedly sexually assaulted by another passenger, according to a Royal Bahamas Police Force press release.
The incident occurred on March 28, 2026. The unidentified victim was supposedly reported missing by her mother around 2:17 a.m., while the vessel was around 15 nautical miles off the coast of West End, Grand Bahama Island.
She was located less than an hour later, around 3:30 a.m., and told her mother that an older male guest had sexually assaulted her. According to the minor, the suspect had a dark complexion, slim build, plaited hairstyle, and tattoos on both forearms.
"The victim told police she encountered the male on the night of Friday, March 27th, on deck 9, where they became acquainted. She then followed him to his cabin on deck two to charge her phone. During this time, she alleges that he inappropriately touched her and committed the sexual assault," the press release reads.
Officers from the Celebration Key Police Station were notified about the incident around 7:30 a.m. on Sunday, March 29. They boarded the vessel and began conducting an investigation in coordination with the ship's chief security officer. A 19-year-old male was arrested and is assisting with the investigation.
The press release doesn't reveal which cruise ship the alleged assault happened on. However, according to Cruise Mapper, two ships were at the cruise line's new private destination on Sunday: Carnival Sunrise and Carnival Conquest.
At the time of publication, Carnival Cruise Line had not publicly issued a statement about the alleged incident.
Sexual assault allegations on cruise ships rose last year
Last year, there were a total of 131 sex crimes reported on ships embarking and disembarking in the United States. Comparatively, there were 120 reports in 2024, including 51 sexual assaults and 80 rapes, according to an article published by USA TODAY.
In fact, at least two sexual assault incidents were reported aboard the Carnival Sunrise in 2025. Our News Bahamas reported that a Minnesota teenager was arrested for allegedly raping a 16-year-old on the ship after Christmas, while Cruise Law News reported that two men were charged with the rape of a 25-year-old woman on the Carnival Sunrise earlier in December.
Michael Winkleman, a maritime attorney with Lipcon, Margulies & Winkleman, P.A., told USA TODAY in 2022 that sex crimes happen more frequently than many might realize, adding that alcohol and the lack of independent law enforcement could be contributing factors.
Carnival Sunrise vs. Carnival Conquest
Carnival Sunrise is a Sunshine Class ship that originally set sail as Carnival Triumph in 1999. She's infamously known for the "poop" cruise incident of 2012, where an engine fire fried the ship's electrical cables and left the vessel adrift in the Gulf of Mexico with limited power, no plumbing, and food shortages for multiple days.
Carnival Triumph underwent a $200 million renovation in 2019, which refreshed popular public areas, dining options, and entertainment venues — and thus earned a brand-new name and ship classification.
For example, the upgrades added popular dining venues, such as Guy’s Pig & Anchor Bar-B-Que Smokehouse and the Lido Marketplace, as well as new lounges and amenities like the Limelight Lounge, WaterWorks aqua park, SportSquare, Piano Bar 88, and the Serenity Adult-Only Retreat.
The 101,509 gross ton Carnival Sunrise sails exclusively from Miami, Florida, to The Bahamas and Caribbean, offering 4 to 6-night itineraries. At double occupancy, she can accommodate 2,984 passengers and 1,108 international crew members.
Carnival Conquest, which entered service in 2002, is the namesake ship of Carnival's Conquest Class. Like Carnival Sunrise, she sails from Miami to The Bahamas.
She measures 110,000 gross tons and has a passenger capacity of 2,980 at double occupancy, according to the cruise line. In addition, she is home to over 1,100 crew members who hail from around the world.
Elizabeth Wright
Elizabeth graduated from New York University's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute with her M.A. in Journalism in May 2023. Having sailed on over 30 cruises across different lines, including Royal Caribbean, Carnival, MSC, Margaritaville at Sea, and Princess, she loves sharing her insight and expertise on all things cruising!
In addition to writing for Cruise.Blog, Elizabeth has bylines in Business Insider, Royal Caribbean Blog, and Cruiseshipfood.com.
