Experts say Cruiselines Defend Security Plans
AP reported that was the real-life situation the crew and passengers of the Seabourn Spirit found themselves in off Somalia last weekend. With piracy common in some areas and terrorism fears present after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, cruise lines say they train their crews and have security measures to respond effectively to these threats. But security experts say that despite all the preparations, cruise liners are vulnerable to attacks like this one or the deadly bombing by al-Qaeda-linked militants of the USS Cole in Yemen five years ago. Cruise industry officials said the Spirit's successful efforts to repel the attackers validate security plans that all ships must have in place under U.S. and international law.
Pirates Fire at Cruise Ship
Pirates fired rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns at a cruise ship carrying more than 300 people in the Indian Ocean on Saturday, but the vessel escaped and no one was hurt. Men in two small boats approached Carnival's Seabourn Cruise Line ship Spirit about 100 miles off the Somali coast, fired on it and tried to board in an apparent bid to rob passengers and crew, cruise line spokesman Bruce Good said. The 161-member crew gathered the 151 passengers, mostly Americans with some Australians and Europeans, into a central lounge away from windows and decks during the attack. No passengers were hurt, but one crew member was injured by shrapnel. The ship sustained minor damage. Seabourn is headquartered in Miami.
