Cruise ship crime: Who's in charge of law and order on the high seas?

Some cruise ships have actual holding cells, but most make do with cabins for passengers who need to be contained. Photo: dpa/Markus Scholz

It's a question that a passenger boarding a cruise ship might fleetingly ask, but then quickly forget: Who is responsible for law and order when we're out on the high seas?

The passengers on an average cruise ship amount to a small town of 2,000 to 5,000 people, and there might be situations when one or a few of them misbehave, even break the law.