Are there laws in the community?
The relevant laws apply to the country of the Bahamas, the flag we are under. The flag of the ship represents the nationality of the ship, and therefore the ship is under the control of the registered country. Based on the ship’s flag, we must comply with international and maritime laws of the registered country in the open sea. That being said, USA residents may use the USA based maritime law and most maritime law is related to USA law.
When sailing, the law of the sea stipulates that maritime countries essentially control their territorial waters from the shore out to a distance of 12 miles (19.3 km), the “12-mile limit.” With respect to crimes committed in these areas, the laws of the country owning the vessel or structure upon which the crime has been committed hold sway.
Will there be a Homeowners Association?
There will be a similar structure of an HOA in place where residents can get involved with the steering committee to shape the community bylaws. It will continue to evolve before and after sailing. There will also be sub-committees of special interest groups.
What authority does the operator have versus authority vested in HOA?
The HOA reports to the operator which has the ultimate authority.
What vetting & screening process does Storylines do to ensure people onboard are of good character?
We conduct background checks such as Know Your Customer (KYC) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) for financials and confirming identification. No serious offenses that involve harming other people such as fraud, child offenses, sexual offenders, etc. Evaluations are on a case by case basis to ensure that all members of the community are of good standing.
Short-term guests are by invitation only from a resident who can vouch for their character and are therefore accepted without the usual vetting process. 3-4 weeks’ notice is required for overnight guests. Long-term renters (3 months+) are subject to background checks. All residents and guests pass through security to board the vessel
Will you have a brig onboard and how do you plan to govern and contain people?
Security at Sea falls under the domain of the Chief Security Officer, who is in charge of the Security patrol teams onboard. This includes running the gangway operations for the ship, liaising with port security, conducting investigations onboard, and “keeping the peace” at all times by following comprehensive security protocols, both at port and at sea. Highly trained security personnel are on call 24/7.
Every ship sailing to or from the U.S. must have at least one crewmember onboard specifically trained in crime prevention, detention, and reporting. The Chief Security Officer (usually known as SECO) reports directly to the executive management (Captain/Staff Captain).
