Using cruise ships as emergency housing in N.Y. Please-this is not about politics

[Mary229]

43 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

The Queen Mary's certificate of documentation and certificate of registry (think of your car's title and registration) expired decades ago, and she is no longer a ship, nor registered in a foreign country.

 

As BruceMuzz says, the crew's visa allows them to work on the ship, provided the ship does not move a passenger from one point in the US to another, or engage in a "voyage to nowhere".

So much to try to unpack in this.  Of course they cannot be "commandeered" since they are not owned in the US or registered there.  Can they be used for this purpose?  Yes, and have been in the past, if chartered for this between the government and the cruise line.  What do you mean by "it is all under contract"?  What do you mean by "just like casinos" they fall under different laws?  The casinos on foreign cruise ships cannot open in US waters, whether the ship is sailing or not.  Casino boats in the US, whether actually moving or landlocked like some in the Midwest, are registered in the US.

They absolutely can be used and have been but it is a contractual relationship.  That said  Covid and Katrina were declared national emergencies, this is not 

[chengkp75]

41 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

They absolutely can be used and have been but it is a contractual relationship.

You were the one who brought up "commandeering" them.  No one else said anything about it not being a contractual agreement.

[Mary229]

57 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

You were the one who brought up "commandeering" them.  No one else said anything about it not being a contractual agreement.

I meant to respond to someone else. Oops