Two Cruise Ships Brace For Potential Pirate Attacks

Table Of Content

• Attack on the MSC Melody: Passengers Fought Pirates with Tables and Deck Chairs
• Cruise News Recap: Carnival Tampering, Dining Changes, Evacuation
• What Else Should I Know About Cruise Ship Pirate Attacks?
• Tampa police prepare for more pirate ships invading the bay during Gasparilla this year
• Latest headlines

"Many are now asking why the captain first had to be alerted about the shots through the passengers," says R. He is also unwilling to accept claims made by the cruise company that the passengers were never in danger. The shots were "fired at windows located just 50 meters from a group of many hundreds of passengers" attending a classical music concert, he says. These contractors are trained by their respective companies and bring that training onboard. Just as there are updated information and training programs for fire safety and weather precautions, there are always updated classes on operating new devices and technologies. Regular cruise passengers might be familiar with LRADs or Long Range Acoustic Devices.

Attack on the MSC Melody: Passengers Fought Pirates with Tables and Deck Chairs

Although these craft – often deployed from larger “mother ships” – might theoretically be faster, their speed advantage is lost in choppy seas. In the cruising world, all inclusive tends to mean alcoholic drinks and tips/gratuities are included. If you want an all inclusive cruise, keep an eye out for deals that say ‘with drinks and tips’, ‘drinks inclusive’ or ‘premium drinks included’. And while a cruise can be all inclusive, this doesn’t mean any flights or transfers will be included so check what you are actually getting for your money before you book. It’s also important to remember that although a cruise may include three main meals per day, most ships have premium restaurants onboard which charge a supplement and these probably won’t be included unless specified. The Seabourn Spirit had been bound for Mombasa, Kenya, when it was attacked by pirates armed with grenade launchers and machine guns on Saturday about 100 miles off Somalia's lawless coast.

Cruise News Recap: Carnival Tampering, Dining Changes, Evacuation

That said, some support is available for ship operators cruising in troubled waterways. And other countries have beefed up security for cruise ships (as well as cargo vessels) around the busier areas. They often work together to keep ships safe; it's more common now to see ships cruising through the Gulf of Aden, for instance, in a convoy of other vessels with protection at both ends.

What Else Should I Know About Cruise Ship Pirate Attacks?

In the open seas, the high-risk area is defined by latitudes 15˚ N in the Red Sea and 22K N in the Gulf of Oman; longitude 65˚ E, and a line drawn due east from the African coast along latitude 5˚ S in the Indian Ocean. "There were at least three rocket-propelled grenades that hit the ship, one in a state room," Laird wrote. "We had no idea that this ship could move as fast as it did and (the captain) did his best to run down the pirates." "He was, to some extent, steering the ship to create waves to overturn the boats and at one point he nearly rammed one of the boats," said passenger Norman Fisher. Lisbon is a classic destination and remains popular, but many operators are offering more cruises stopping in Porto and the nearby Douro river.

Somali pirates are back on the attack at a level not seen in years, adding to global shipping threats - CNBC

Somali pirates are back on the attack at a level not seen in years, adding to global shipping threats.

Posted: Tue, 06 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]

Relieved vacationers praised the ship's captain for foiling the attack that lasted for more than 90 minutes, during which pirates fired their weapons on the bridge and elsewhere in an effort to cripple the vessel. The gunmen never got close enough to board the cruise ship, but one member of the 161-person crew was injured by shrapnel, according to the Miami-based Seabourn Cruise Line, a subsidiary of Carnival Corp. "The ship had been completely blacked out and made invisible to the pirates," MSC chief Vago says. "But we've become certain in the meantime that the pirates were trying to get the position data so they could attack us again." The captain has said he believes he heard street sounds in the background in the telephone conversation. And Vago says he believes that accomplices back on the mainland were trying to provide the pirates at sea with assistance.

Latest headlines

Passengers onboard a 104-day world cruise experienced nightly power blackouts and a pirate drill as the ship tried to remain undetected from pirates in the Indian Ocean, according to a passenger's account. Again and again, the pirate boat would approach the ship and disappear under the stern, only to reemerge. Tayler and his fellow passengers continued to throw chairs despite the gunfire. One passenger was shot in the leg and one bullet grazed the head of a crew member. The armed security staff finally turned up six to eight minutes into the skirmish, passengers claim. Pinto radioed an alarm code to his crew and ordered all passengers to go below deck, immediately.

Often, they're sourced from the Philippines, Nepal, Israel and South Africa, and they are already well trained before they even step onboard. You're never going to hear too much from cruise lines about their tactics involving pirate security. Aside from the obvious "Why tip your hand to criminals?" rationale, one reason is that there are no official regulations with which lines must comply. Crew are advised to wear bullet-proof vests and helmets, and to protect open bridge wings with steel plates or sandbags.

Last year, during a 104-day World Cruise, passengers experienced a 10-day, dusk-to-dawn lock-down which saw outdoor events canceled and an order for curtains be drawn after dark and lights dimmed to avoid attracting unwanted attention. "We are no longer going to travel through the dangerous areas of the Indian Ocean near the Somalian coast," the cruise ship company's chief says. A trip through the region planned for another of the company's ships, the MSC Symphonia, for this autumn has been cancelled. "We won't travel this route and will instead take a course along West Africa," he says. Within a few minutes, the acute danger appeared to have been averted. The fact that the cruise ship's crew were armed apparently surprised the pirates.

Porto itself is beautiful and offers excellent wine and food, while the Northern coast of Portugal is stunning. For example, during the summer, Mediterranean cruises are super expensive as generally the weather is great and kids are off school, which in turn drives up demand. If you're dead set on an affordable cruise to the Med, try and aim for non-peak travel periods (September-March).

Navies from various nations, as well as NATO and the European Union have all shared in the patrolling duties. She added that armed security officers had been brought on board to offer further protection should the need arise. The International Maritime Bureau has for several months warned ships to stay at least 150 miles away from Somalia's coast, citing 25 pirate attacks in those waters since March 15 — compared with just two for all of 2004.

Carnival Paradise can welcome 2,124 passengers aboard at double occupancy, or up to 2,697 travelers when fully booked. Before venturing into the waters off Somalia — a known hot-spot for pirate-related activity — passengers on board the Sun Princess underwent exercises designed to help them be prepared should the unthinkable happen. "It is common practice for the master of a ship to take precautions against pirate attack if his vessel is on passage through a sea area where he considers that there is a risk of piracy," Austen told Condé Nast Traveler.

"Oh it’s going to be bigger than last year, we are predicting temperatures in the 80s, wind speeds are going to be down to approximately 3-4 mph. It’s actually a perfect boating day," said Audet. Other festivities for the event include a special brunch before the Gasparilla Invasion as a flotilla of pirates arrives and a full schedule of live music and other entertainment from 10 a.m. "I saw a white-hulled boat with men in it waving various things and shooting at the ship — at that stage it appeared to be rifle fire," he told Australian radio. "My wife said 'Look, they're loading a bazooka,' which we later discovered was called an RPG (rocket-propelled grenade) launcher. Retired physician and World War II veteran Charles Supple, of Fiddletown, Calif., recalled by phone on The Early Show Monday that, "I grabbed my binoculars, thinking I was seeing things" out his stateroom window. "All this time, you're hearing the bullets hit the ship and wondering what in the world is going on."