Cruise liner fends off pirate attack (Spirit)

[dougnewmanatsea]

First, let me say that I am releived that SEABOURN SPIRIT and her passengers and crew managed to escape this attack unharmed.

 

I also congratulate her crew and especially her captain for being able to do so!

 

That said, while it may seem that this is some sort of "freak attack", it is definitely not. The ship was reportedly about 100 mi (not sure if this is statute miles or nautical miles - I assume the latter) off the Somali coast, well within the area which vessels are advised to keep out of.

 

As an example, see this advisory from the US Maritime Administration. It clearly states that pirates have demonstrated "ability to conduct at sea hijackings ... out to a distance of 170 nm" and that "all vessels are advised to remain at least 200 nm from the east coast of Somalia".

 

I have seen an advisory from the Office of Naval Intelligence issued yesterday in the wake of the SEABOURN SPIRIT attack stating that "In the present case, the pirates may have mistaken (SEABOURN SPIRIT) for a research vessel, as cruise ships are generally not historically targeted while research ships have been. This incident probably does not indicate any attempt by the pirates to specifically hijack a ship filled with passengers to hold for ransom. Pirate “targeting” is believed to rely solely on visual observation of passing targets of opportunity. Therefore, however, no ship within less than 200 nm of the Somali coast can be considered safe from attack and any ship proceeding within 50 to 100 nm of the coast must regard attack as a near certainty."

 

So if you ask me, SEABOURN SPIRIT really ought not to have been where she was.

[tomatopa]

how do i see norman's pictures

[Chairsin]

Tomatopa,

Go back to the earlier pages of this thread and you will see Norm's posts. Then just click on the picture references highlighted in his post.Voila!

[Iamboatman]

...And I hope I never become a lawyer who thinks like some of these posts. Just like the absurd law suit bred McDonald's coffee cup warning about "careful, contents might be hot..", I do not want to see a warning on my cruise ticket: "careful, life is sometimes dangerous". And then not be able to sail the area from Cape Horn to Indonesia because the cruise operators are afraid of law suits.

 

I hope I don't resemble that remark!:D

 

I travel the world and soak it all in. And I remember watching the World Trade Towers being attacked and know a few people that lost loved ones. And I travel to New York as much as possible to enjoy that city too.

 

If we all crawl in a hole then the bad guys win. We win because we won't!:)

[beasfriend]

What I find incredible is how this piracy has apparently been going on for a long, long time and has remained pretty much "under the radar" of the news media until a cruise ship was attacked. These pirates are really dumb (pirates-dumb = oxymoron). I'm sure there will be more surveillance in the area now.

[CASHIPman]

Different strokes for different folks.

 

I recently cruised in that area of the world and recognized that there was a risk of "pirate" activity but for me, it was far outweighed by the reward. That's me.

 

There are those who want 100% safety. Jeff, if I recall correctly, you find it a security issue to leave your luggage in the companionway in preparation for disembarkation. I see this risk as being less than negligible. Different strokes...

 

What I feel this pirate incident shows is that Seabourn, and I'm confident all reputable passenger carrying lines have robust contingency plans for these incidents.

 

Would I travel Seabourn? Yes! I am boarding the Legend in a month's time. Would I travel the Middle East again? If the itinerary was interesting, yes!

 

My personal philosophy is that I could be hit by the M-14 bus crossing 8th Ave and killed. I'd rather the end of my days come while I'm doing something I enjoy instead of fretting over things I didn't do.

 

Different strokes....

[wripro]

when seabourn cancelled their visits to bali after the bombings there recently people on this board complained and some even cancelled their cruises. someone will always find something to complain about. I'm pretty certain that seabourn wiil revisit all its itineraries in the wake of this incident, but so should all cruise lines. so unless someone can accurately predict where and when in this crazy world the next unexpected incident, manmade or natural, will occur, i suggest we all use some common sense in our planning and then continue to enjoy all the pleasures seabourn offers. don't we all get in our cars every day where the odds of getting into an accident are much greater than pirates attacking us at sea????

[blackbird71]

 

So if you ask me, SEABOURN SPIRIT really ought not to have been where she was.

 

I have to agree with you if there are naval warnings out there. Pilots are told you fly near the WH you will be shot down, this isn't rocket science. So the question is why was the Captain inside the danger area.

[Linda the Book Lover]

Pirates attack cruising sailors also, http://www.latitude38.com/LectronicLat/2005/0305/Mar18/Mar18.html . The Spirit was lucky to escape.

That was a scary story! Pirates and high-jackers are all over!

[banditcat]

It has been interesting to read the responses on this board about the pirates and the second guessing on whether Seabourn should have been in that area.

 

I do not believe that any cruise line would take unnecessary chances because of the liability issues involved. However life is a risk. I am very impressed with the response that the crew had in response to the threat to the passengers and the ship. It appears that they were well trained and responded appropriately to the crisis at hand.

 

I admit I have never been on Seabourn. I will sail with them next month on the Legend. If the crew on the Legend is as good as the crew on the Spirit then I will feel great!. As others have said on this board, life is full of risks. Second guessing is always easy living is the hard part. As I said before I was very impressed with how the crew responded to the situation. Good job!

 

Hannah:)

[Kiwi Kruzer]

We are following this thread,as is the world wide web,for the latest information.

Has anyone heard if Spirit has been allowed to dock in the Seychelles yet?

 

 

 

 

from The Australian

 

Missile 'embedded in cruise ship'

 

November 07, 2005

AN unexploded missile is embedded in an accommodation unit after a possible terrorist attack off the east African coast, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer has said today.

 

The passengers on the US-owned Seabourn Spirit were woken by machinegun fire and a rocket-propelled grenade crashing into the vessel at dawn on Saturday about 160km off the coast of the lawless nation of Somalia.

 

The luxury cruise ship is about to dock in the Seychelles, but Mr Downer said that could be delayed while officials disarm the unexploded ordnance.

 

"We're not sure whether in the early stages the ship will be able to tie up at the wharf there because of concern about an unexploded rocket that is embedded in some of the passenger accommodation of the ship," Mr Downer told the Nine Network.

 

"American officials are going to board it initially to deal with that problem, and once that problem's dealt with then our consular officer will be able to go on board as well."

 

The attack was believed to have been carried out by pirates, but Mr Downer said it may have been a terrorist act.

 

"The whole thing is an extraordinary story, that it would be attacked by, we're not quite sure who at this stage, but it's possible the people who attacked the ship were terrorists," he said.

 

Mr Downer said it was not known exactly how many Australians were on board, with 13 named on the ship's passenger list and another six who were thought to have joined the cruise.

 

The ship, with more than 300 people on board, was on its way to the Kenyan port of Mombasa where it was due to pick up more passengers, including Australians.

 

Those Australians will now be met by a consular official from Australia's embassy in Nairobi.

 

The passengers awoke about 5.30am on Saturday to the sound of gunfire as two armed vessels approached the Seabourn Spirit.

 

The 7.5-metre inflatable boats approached the vessel and fired as their occupants attempted to get on board the liner.

 

Seabourn Spirit was not boarded, managing to outrun the attackers and change its course.

 

One member of the crew was slightly injured before the attackers were repulsed, a London-based Seabourn Cruises spokesman said. The crew member was reportedly hit by flying debris.

 

The ship has 161 crew members and 151 passengers.

 

The company said the ship, registered in the Bahamas, sustained minor damage and was safe to sail.

[bldsld]

Hannah,

 

Which cruise will you be on next month? We are on the Legend December 4th Panama Canal sailing.

 

You will love the Legend, and the awesome crew. We particularly love our very special Captain Captain Thue-Nilsen, so hope you will be onboard when he is!

 

Denyse

[banditcat]

Hi

 

Yes we will be on the same cruise as you. We are very excited. Not sure what to expect but we are looking forward to meeting all of the people who regularly post on this board.

 

Hannah

[dougnewmanatsea]

Obviously nowhere is perfectly safe. However, the area in which SPIRIT was is clearly not safe.

 

According to reports from the Office of Naval Intelligence four vessels were successfully hijacked along the Somali coast in October. And that is just the number of successful hijackings, completely ignoring unsuccessful attempts!

 

The ONI is the same organization which has now said that "any ship proceeding within 50 to 100 nm of the coast must regard attack as a near certainty". The latest ONI warning about Somalia - and I must add that the past three ONI reports (not including the one I'm quoting) have all included strong warnings about Somalia - says that "No ship not having business in Somali waters should ever approach that coast, despite pressures of schedule and fuel expenditure which routinely lead to unsafe course, especially by ships leaving or approaching Kenyan ports."

 

Recent ONI reports have not included a similar warning about any other part of the world.

 

This to me seems to send the very clear and unambiguous message that it is quite inadvisable to go anywhere near the Somali coast.

 

What I find incredible is how this piracy has apparently been going on for a long, long time and has remained pretty much "under the radar" of the news media until a cruise ship was attacked.

Well, generally speaking, piracy does not normally affect members of the general public. People other than professional mariners are not normally in danger from this sort of thing, so it doesn't make much of a news story.

 

Of course now I think most of the public must be quite aware of the problem and indeed I am afraid that once again we are in for a period in which people will be unecessarily scared of cruising because of this incident (never mind that most cruises never go near dangerous areas like this).

 

My personal philosophy is that I could be hit by the M-14 bus crossing 8th Ave and killed.

This is quite true - but I do not think anyone would say that that is a "near certainty". (If it were, I wouldn't be here to write this.)

 

As I said, I do not consider myself a hide-under-the-bed type, but surely one must draw the line somewhere.

 

I also might add that cruising to the Middle East or East Africa does not necessarily mean approaching the "danger zone" for Somali piracy. I would not consider that whole part of the world off-limits by any means - just the Somali coastline particularly.

 

Finally, I have noticed that several members have posted copyrighted material such as news articles on this thread. I ask that in keeping with our Community Guidelines, members please do not post copyrighted material but rather post a link to the site in question.

[uk1]

Doug,

 

A very patient and articulate reply. Well done.

 

Jeff

[English Voyager]

Given that the itinerary in question has been published for several months where were the knowledgeable people warning us of the inherent dangers?

Perhaps they can now turn their attention towards Silversea whose 14 January 2006 cruise,albeit approaching from the south,docks at Mombasa.Or do Somali pirates only sail due east?

[Aussie Cruisers]

Hi, I posted this in the "Cruise News" section, but thought it fitted here too.

 

Interview with Australians this afternoon on Radio.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

I wanted to fill you in about an ABC radio interview (702AM in Sydney) during the afternoon "Drive" programme. There were twenty two Australians on board, and Richard interviewed a Sydney couple. They explained in detail as the first boat arrived below their balcony. They took many photos, and explained about being shot at, and how one rocket propelled grenade was in the hull of the ship undetonated. They were ordered to the port side of the ship, and then told to wait in the centre of the ship as there were several boats surrounding the ship. They were afraid, but the passengers and crew were all very calm, and the crew were extraordinary.

 

They explained that the crew mamber who was injured was a specially trained army 'type' officer who was firing at the ship with a sonic boom weapon that would send sound waves to the personnel on the terrorist vessel that would burst their ear drums, and knock them off their feet. He was injured when a grenade struck his machine and he recieved sharapnel wounds.

 

After the event there was an attempt to lure them back by a false mayday by a different terrorist vessel. They investigated and realised it was a rouse to get them back into the area.

 

They sang the praises of the Captain, the crew and the training of the crew in dealing with this. It was also made clear that it was not pirates but a terrorist organisation that may have been trying to get western casualties. This however is speculation, and whether they were pirates or not, it seems that the goal was to hurt people.

 

Thought you may like to know! The interview was compelling, and made all the more real as they were from Sydney, and it was still so fresh in their minds.

 

Mark.

[Prunella]

Thanks for that Mark, very interesting, I wonder if perhaps Seabourn will cancel the next cruise and sail straight to Singapore to repair the damage and do all the updating at the same time, I suppose it depends on what their assessment is once they have had time to "have a good look" in the Seychelles.

 

On the subject of whether they should be sailing 100 or 200 miles offshore, if they turn out to be terrorists and not pirates (what's the difference?) and are using a mother ship to launch these small boats I don't think it matters a jot they are going to be in just as much danger whatever.

 

Anyway God speed the Seabourn Spirit, I can't wait for the next time we sail on her.

[guernseyguy]

On the subject of whether they should be sailing 100 or 200 miles offshore, I don't think it matters a jot they are going to be in just as much danger whatever.

 

When they have been advised not to sail closer than 200 nm, I think it may well matter more than 'a jot'. Phrases like 'reckless endangerment' spring to mind......

 

Peter

[Iamthesea]

Who is this Charles Supple? He was just interviewed on the CBS morning show and is onboard the Spirit and also supplied photo's.

 

What amazes me about all these photo's is that the "pirates" seem so calm. They are just sitting around the boat, smiling and laughing like it is all a big joke!:eek:

[English Voyager]

As far as I am aware,prior to the attack on the Spirit,vessels attacked,and held hostage,have been cargo ships,including one carrying aid to Somalia.

It is stated that 60 cruise ships per year pass by the 1800 mile long Somalia coast line,presumably,up until now,without incident.

It would appear that the quoted sources have been giving advice,not instructions.

Therefore,the captain may have felt that 100 nm of the coast was a safe distance in conjunction with the level of security lookout that appears to have been deployed.

Have the relevent authorities stated that an attack can not take place at 150-200 nm?

[Heads !!!!]

Thanks for the report.......how scarey!!!

I believe Norman is still on board.......hope the Spirit didn't receive too much damage. I can not imagine such a thing........

 

Martita

 

Norm got his name in all the papers yesterday and has sold pictures to them all. Trust Norm, everyone running for cover but he's out there with his camera !!!

 

Phil

[Martita B.]

Along with Seabourn, these lines have scheduled these same waters, off the coast of Somalia, in 2006:

Holland, Princess, Silverseas, Radisson, Cunard (World Cruise) and a few other cruise lines.......

MB

[English Voyager]

How is 100 nautical miles "close"?

Let us not lose sight of the fact that this is the first reported attack on a cruise ship, not only in this area,but also since 1984.

[guernseyguy]

Along with Seabourn, these lines have scheduled these same waters, off the coast of Somalia, in 2006:

Holland, Princess, Silverseas, Radisson, Cunard (World Cruise) and a few other cruise lines.......

MB

 

Martita, thats not the question - the question is how CLOSE to the coast will they be sailing? For example, Cunard's QE2 sails from Oman to Safaga in Egypt - through the Gulf of Aden and into the Red Sea - nowhere near where Spirit was attacked. I have no doubt tha Seabourn is a great line - but it looks as though the Captain sailed too close to the Somali coast - certainly a lot closer than (public domain) advice would suggest. The World Food Programme are spending $$$ sending their ships further out into the Indian Ocean to avoid this - why didn't Seabourn?

 

Peter