Hawaii wants cruise passengers screened

HONOLULU, June 27 (UPI) -- Hawaiian officials are pressing the federal government to screen cruise ship passengers as airlines do, a report said Friday.

In a teleconference, Brig. Gen. Robert Lee, the state's adjutant general, told Rep. Neil Abercrombie, D-Hawaii, and other officials in Washington he is concerned with "the disparity in the checkout or the security of passengers for cruise lines as opposed to passengers for aircraft."

The concern comes as Hawaii's cruise ship industry is experiencing its highest visitor numbers ever, the Honolulu StarBulletin reported.

The number of cruise ship passengers coming to Hawaii is up 12 percent for the first five months of the year, from the same period in 2002.

Harley Carter, of the U.S. Bureau of Customs and Border Protection in Hawaii, said cruise passengers are not screened individually before they leave or arrive in the islands.

However, cruise line manifests are monitored by security officials.