Pirate attack on Spirit

[donnaw]

THought these days were long gone but they have reappeared.

 

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4409662.stm

 

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/africa/11/05/somalia.pirates/index.html

[espmass]

I just saw this report on the news. Makes you realize how probably very vulnerable cruise ships are. Scary.

[Andy]

Hi Everyone !

 

Yes, I was quite surprised to see this news. Thank goodness, everyone is fine.

 

However, keep in mind that this particular location where the ship was.... is notorious for various problems. How Cruiselines or Passengers would want to Cruise in this area (Somalia) is beyond me. I would imagine Cruise ships will stay out of that area for a long time to come.

 

I hope there are no further incidents like this, or it may scare off Foreign Cruising for all.

[Liat]

Seabourne Spirit, which suffered only one injury to a crew member, is a fairly fast vessel compared to most small boats. Ship speed is controlled to some extent by hull length, and "pirate" vessels are not big ships.

A "standard" size cruise ship could not successfully be attacked or boarded by the kinds of pirate ships now extant. Cruise ships are huge boats, with the lowest available deck being at least 30, and in many cases more, feet above the waterline. Not exactly easy to board! Cruise ships are easily capable of 24 knots (about 28-29 mph), and can outrun almost anything on the water except a full naval warship. Small rockets and sidearms would not inflict the type of damage necessary to slow or stop one of these ships. I am not worried about pirates.

[Arubalisa]

Unprecedented increase in piracy attacks off Somalia

http://www.icc-ccs.org/main/news.php?newsid=57

 

London, 20 October 2005

"The International Maritime Bureau has reported an unprecedented increase in the number of serious attacks off Somalia. Recently two vessels have been attacked around 90 miles off the coast over two consecutive days by pirates..."

 

Piracy increasing on Somali coast London, 15 August 2005

http://www.icc-ccs.org/main/news.php?newsid=53

 

It took me less than 2 minutes to get this information off of the internet. Looking at the dates which these reports were made, it makes you wonder why was the cruise ship in that area in the first place? Lines alter itineraries for many darn reasons, but this SURELY would have been a good reason to go elsewhere...don't you think???? :confused:

 

http://www.icc-ccs.org/prc/piracyreport.php

[CruiserJen]

Sounds like Seabourn staff/crew did a great job of maintaining the pax safety and taking control of the situation. How often does a cruise ship come under attack at 5:30 a.m.!? Despite training, it's not something you prepare for every day. I think the company, the staff, the captain, the on board security and crew should be commended for their quick thinking and obvious training.

 

Seabourn and all the other cruise lines need to rethink their exotic itineraries, however!

 

Jen

[kitty9]

Go over to the Seabourn board and take a look at the picture that Norman, a frequent poster, took from his cabin. Two small wooden boats and you can clearly see two of the pirates holding rocket launchers on their shoulders.

 

Most of the luxury lines do this itinerary and it's almost always sold out months in advance. Crystal, Silversea, Cunard and Radisson all cruise in this area. Crystal will be there, at least for now, as part of their world cruise in 2006.

 

I'm very surprised they didn't fire back. When I was cruising Seabourn, I dined with the captain on a few evenings and he did say they carry firearms on board the ships in case something like this happens.

 

Indonesia and the east coast of Africa have the most problems with piracy. According to Fox News, there have been 26 incidents of pirate attacks off the coast of Somalia since March 2005.

 

I think cruise lines will completely rethink cruising in this part of the world, or at least I hope they do. I did a cruise on Crystal in 2001 that cruised there, and piracy wasn't something we thought about. I guess we will now.

[florisdekort]

Maybe people shouldn't go on luxury cruises in parts of the world where the most reliable authority is the World Food Programme?

[Jim_Iain]

I was just reading an interesting article on how they repelled the attack by the use of a devices created by special forces. Sunday London times:

 

"The liner used a sonic blaster to foil the pirates. Developed by American forces to deter small boats from attacking warships, the non-lethal weapon sends out high-powered air vibrations that blow assailants off their feet. The equipment, about the size of a satellite dish, is rigged to the side of the ship."

[Seal]

This brings me back to 25 years ago when I spent time in Kenya--thinking that I would love to retire and move to Mombasa. Of course, I didn't do that, I'm right here in California. Always loved Mombasa.

 

I know todays events have made me and probably everyone else who is cruising now or taking another trip soon, one more thing to think about.

 

I suppose we should become more diligent in planning our cruises. for safety factors.

 

Never thinking of piracy as a possible problem--this was a shock--although, apparently the cruise lines that travel these areas should be aware of the situation and keep us out of harms way if possible.

 

They did a great job today!!!!!!

 

Nancy:confused:

[Happy ks]

Piracy is alive and well, we probably just don't hear about it so much because of the location where it occurs. I'm thinking none of us had heard about the relief ships before this incident, right? What was unusual about this attack was it was a small cruise ship, filled with American, British and Australian pax.

 

I'm very glad all turned out well for the ship and its crew and passengers. I'm not the least bit worried about a huge cruise ship being attacked by pirates.

[bostonnerd]

Piracy is alive and well, we probably just don't hear about it so much because of the location where it occurs. I'm thinking none of us had heard about the relief ships before this incident, right? What was unusual about this attack was it was a small cruise ship, filled with American, British and Australian pax.

 

I'm very glad all turned out well for the ship and its crew and passengers. I'm not the least bit worried about a huge cruise ship being attacked by pirates.

 

Uh, no offense but terrorist activities in Somalia and the offshore shipping lanes have been widely reported on for years. In the case of Somalia, these "pirate" attacks are also widely believed to be a large source of funding for al Qaeda activities around the world. These offshore attacks are not ad hoc independent actions but well coordinated offensives. The fact that this attack was unsuccesful was due more to the incompetance of the attackers then the ability of a cruise ship to escape unscathed. An RPG hit on the Bridge would have taken out the Captain and Bridge personel and a hit on the comms pod (the large dome) would have disabled most of their communications.

 

What's next, shore excursions in Libya :( ?

[aztex]

While I agree with most of the statements made so far, it is important that we realize the difference between a poorly planned pirate attack and terrorism. Cruise ships are vulnerable to both pirates and terrorists given the correct circumstances. I believe that US Naval ships of the line are certainly more protected than cruise ships and yet one was severly holed, as you may remember.

 

We have entered a new era of rules of engagement around the world and the rules have changed. I have no idea as to the defensive capabilities of cruise ships but it is my sincere hope that the industry is waking up to the fact that things aren't like they once were. Cruise ships can be disabled, they can be forced into shallow waters, they can be holed by pirates or by terrorists given the right locations and timing.

 

Even so, if the cruise industry properly prepares and plans, there should be no reason for passengers to quit sailing or to feel threatened. The biggest mistake the industry can make, in my opinion, is to sit back and feel that the security checks at boarding are adequate to the need. If a serious incident occurs to or on a cruise ship the industry will suffer from the loss of confidence of the cruising public and it will be hard to rebuild, once lost.

 

At a time when the world is increasingly influenced by terrorism and the likes of Castro, Chavez and Mugabe to name but a few, both the industry and the cruising public need to recognize that this is a two-fold problem. There is the problem of vulnerabily of the ship while in port and at sea and then there is the problem of the cruise passengers and their vulnerability while on tours and excursions off the ship.

 

If the industry properly pre-plans and recognizes the new rules of engagement, cruising should continue for many more years as a safe and enjoyable method to see new places in the world and to vacation. There are places however, that cruise ships should not go and this includes both ports and sea lanes.