Key Aspects:
- A Taiwanese national was arrested in the Philippines after his cruise ship docked in Currimao Port.
- Tsai Chin Hao faces charges from an outstanding arrest warrant issued in the US.
- The suspect was discovered during immigration procedures aboard StarCruises’ Star Navigator.
Drama surrounding the arrest of an alleged fugitive from justice unfolded onboard a cruise ship as it arrived in Philippine territory on a voyage from Taiwan.
The unusual event was handled by the Philippines Bureau of Immigration (BI) on November 22, 2025, when authorities realized that 54-year-old Tsai Chin Hao was a passenger on Star Navigator, which had arrived at Currimao Port, Ilocos Norte, Philippines.
Hao was named in an Interpol alert as the subject of an arrest warrant in the US, where he is a former citizen. The immigration office identifies him as a current Taiwanese national. The charges contained in his arrest warrant were not revealed.
According to BI, Hao was discovered when eight officers were conducting routine immigration procedures after the ship arrived at the port, the first and only call on the ship’s two-night getaway sailing from Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
The officers, along with the Philippines’ National Bureau of Investigation, apprehended Hao and turned him over to the BI Fugitive Search Unit.
“This operation reflects our firm commitment to secure our borders and uphold [President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s] directive. Our officers remain vigilant in ensuring that the Philippines does not become a refuge for fugitives,” said Joel Anthony Viado, commissioner of the Bureau of Immigration.
It is unclear where Hao was taken, and when he might be returned to the US for prosecution.
The 1,856-guest Star Navigator sails 2- and 5-night cruises roundtrip from Taiwan. The cruise was the ship’s first visit to Currimao Port as part of a series of voyages that will continue until late January 2026.
Indeed, the Ilocos Norte Tourism office welcomed the ship in a Facebook post, saying that the region’s growing tourism is a boon to local businesses.
Cruise Ship to Begin New Series of Asia Sailings in 2026
Star Navigator, an older ship that launched in 1998, will shift to 2-, 3-, and 5-night sailings in February 2026, offering destinations farther afield in East Asia.
Sailing from Keelung, Taiwan, two-night cruises will call at Ishigaki, Japan, for instance, while 5-night voyages will visit Busan, South Korea, and Nagasaki and Naha, Japan.
Other 5-night cruises to Japan will call at Kumamoto and Kagoshima.
StarCruises is a new brand in the cruise industry. In February 2025, Resorts World Cruises was split into two entities — StarCruises and Dream Cruises. Resorts World was formed in 2022 by a former executive of Genting Cruises, which was owned by Genting Hong Kong, a firm that went bankrupt that same year.
Star Navigator formerly operated as Resorts World One. Before that, the ship was named Explorer Dream and sailed for Dream Cruises.
They’re Unusual, But Arrests Do Happen During Cruises
While not a common occurrence, arrests of cruise guests happen from time to time. Most recently, a guest, Phillip Andrew Ortiz, was arrested at PortMiami during the November 22, 2025 embarkation of Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Encore.
Ortiz is accused of assaulting another cruiser during an altercation on the ship. In another noteworthy case, a guest sailing on Royal Caribbean’s Rhapsody of the Seas was arrested after he jumped overboard as guests were disembarking in Puerto Rico in September 2025.
His alleged crime? Trying to avoid paying the cruise line a $16,000 debt he incurred in the ship’s casino.
