Cruise Ships on Pirate Alert

November 14, 2005

According to a recent Globe and Mail story, a recent foiled attempt by modern-day pirates on the Seabourn Spirit cruise ship off the coast of Somalia demonstrates the effectiveness of security precautions that have become standard procedure on cruises. The International Maritime Organization requires that every cruise ship operating anywhere in the world have a security officer and between six and 20 crew whose only job is security, according to the story. The Seabourn Spirit is one of the smallest cruise ships in operation, yet the attackers couldn't get near enough to try to board it. The ship’s captain took the ship into a high-speed evasive maneuver designed to swamp the oncoming boats, and 161 passengers, were moved to a lounge for safety. Meanwhile, crew blasted the attackers with water hoses and an electronic device was turned on to focus an ear-splitting 150-decibel noise that forced them to move away. The tactics worked and there was only one minor injury to a crew member. Source: Globe and Mail

Cruise Ships on Pirate Alert

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