"Exploitation claims have been levelled against cruise ship company Carnival. Here's what we know", 10 February 2026

A major cruise ship docked in Darwin was boarded by investigators from the Australian Maritime Safety Authority …, following claims of worker exploitation.

The maritime union said details reported to them were "horrifying", and included allegations workers were being forced to live in overcrowded conditions with no access to safe, free drinking water while earning as little as $2.50 an hour…

MUA Sydney branch organiser Shane Reside said a whistleblower reached out to the union …, with further "horrifying" reports about about living conditions on the Carnival Encounter cruise ship.

The reports allegedly came from crew, which detailed extremely poor living and working conditions…

There have been serious concerns raised, including allegations crew members were living in cramped conditions leading to high incidence of skin infections.

According to the maritime union, the only free water available to workers was potentially harmful and crew were being forced to work while suffering from serious illnesses, including gastro.

The maritime union says crew members of a luxury Carnival cruise ship allege they are being made to sleep in crowded rooms, lack access to safe free drinking water, and that some are earning as little as $2.50 an hour.

Mr Reside told … the whistleblowers claimed crews were working sometimes in excess of 10 hours a day for more than 30 days consecutively, and were paid as little as $2.50 an hour.

"We've got reports from these whistleblowers that when the company doctors on board are approached so that they can report sickness, the doctors have been putting them under a lot of pressure to return to work, even while they are still sick," he said…

Carnival said it had "nothing to hide" and welcomed the "oversight".

"We respect this process, and we hold our shipboard team members in the highest regard," a spokesperson said in a statement.

"We welcome AMSA's oversight as an important assurance mechanism for our crew and our operations."

What did AMSA find during the inspection?

Carnival said AMSA "found no deficiencies during its inspection", with "no follow-up action required".

In a statement, AMSA said it "concluded our inspection of the vessel and a report of inspection has been provided to the captain."…

It's now owned and operated by Carnival Coproration & PLC, with more than 90 ships in its fleet…