Should I be worried about pirates?

[Leejnd4]

Ha, that thread title ought to raise a few eyebrows! :) But seriously - I'm actually not kidding. I recently booked a cruise for 2009 that goes from Port Said, Egypt to Mombasa, Kenya, with a port stop in Djibouti. Djibouti is a tiny nation sandwiched between Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia. The seas in that area are known to be subject to pirate attacks - and in fact, if you haven't already heard this news, there is a French cruise ship right now being held hostage by Somalian pirates!

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=2485

 

Fortunately there are no pax onboard, only 30 crewmembers, but the ship has been held hostage for several days now with no end in site. And these pirates appear to be pretty nasty fellows - recent reports state that the pirates tried to land the ship at a fishing village named Garaad, which is only a few miles from Djibouti, and were turned away, so the pirates opened fire and killed two of the locals!

 

Apparently, pirate activity is pretty common in that region - 31 cases of piracy were reported in 2007. Most incidents are with cargo ships, but this is the same area where Seabourn Spirit was attacked by pirates in 2005, using rocket-propelled grenade launchers. Yeesh!

 

So now I'm wondering if this cruise is a good idea? Granted my cruise isn't for a long time, but still, it doesn't sound like they're going to get the region cleaned up any time soon. Evidently the Somalian government has washed its hands of the situation and they are making no efforts to eradicate the pirates in their part of the world, and are instead asking the French to save their own ship. I did some searching, and my cruise is the ONLY one that I can find that visits Djibouti within the next two years, so I can't find out if other cruise ships are being diverted from the area, since I don't know of any planning to go there any time soon.

 

What would you do? Would you throw caution to the wind, strap on your adventurous spirit, and hit the high seas, pirates and all? Or would you consider changing your plans to avoid the possibility of getting shot at with rocket-propelled grenades?

[duct tape]

I'd go anyway! The French ship is a sailing ship and subject to attack much easier than a cruise ship. If the area is still iffy at that time, rest assured that a full night watch will be in effect. Once when we went through there, the night watch manned the firehoses all night! Go and enjoy. Actually, there is not too much to enjoy in Djibouti.

[freddie]

Lee Ann - Yo Ho Ho and a Bottle of Rum!!!

 

If you get nabbed by the evil pirates, just feed them some of that "muddy-tasting" paddlefish caviar that SS is serving now (at $60 per serving??!!). That should drive them off the Silver Wind and encourage them to try once again to grab a Seabourn ship, no?? All things considered, we're pleased that our Dubai to Athens cruise on Silver Whisper in a couple of weeks does not stop anywhere on the Horn of Africa. Cheers, Fred

[Leejnd4]

Duct tape - you're probably right. I tend to be a risk-taker anyway, so I'm game. I'm more worried about my Mom (with whom I'll be cruising), who isn't nearly as wild as I am! I haven't yet told her about the pirates - and I'm thinking - perhaps I'd better not. To me, the idea of telling all my friends that I cruised through pirate-infested waters and came out the other side sounds pretty cool. I should get a few cocktail-party conversation starters out of that, I think!

 

I've been reading up on Djibouti, and you're right - not much there. I was hoping to do some scuba diving in the area (there are a couple of scuba operators nearby) but I just learned that during that season, they only visit a dive site that is 3 hrs away by boat...and we won't be at the port long enough. The town looks rather ramshackle, but I might take a port excursion if they offer anything interesting.

 

Freddie - the whole rum thing did cross my mind, but then these aren't Caribbean pirates, they're Somalian. So what do Somalian pirates drink? I'll be sure to stock up on whatever it is in my suite! :D

[duct tape]

Lee Anne, really, there is nothing interesting there except the fish market. I would hesitate to go diving in the local waters....what if you got the bends and needed medical attention...who shall we call?? the High Commissioner on Refugees of the United Nations or the French Foreign Legion???? They keep the local peace.

[mrscrab]

Before the Seabourn Spirit was attacked sailing in the same area as you have mentioned, the local authorities had all the alcohol removed from the sky bar. I don't know if it was removed from everywhere else on the ship but the area is very strict with Islamic law so I doubt that the pirates touch alcohol. They want goods to sell, cash, and anything else they can take to use in an effort to survive. Cargo ships that are low in the water are a favourite target, they are highly organised and have a Mother Ship - this is where they leave from in the zodiacs to attack vessels in the area. The British, US and Australian Navy's patrol the waters but cannot be there all the time. Somalia has no government it is said to be run by War Lords, Good Luck if you decide to go, there is little of interest for tourists along that coast.

[Leejnd4]

Duct tape - no worries, I already ruled out the diving. I found a website with a ton of pictures of the town and area from another traveler, and it really looks rather bleak. The only shore excursion I can find on the Silversea site for that port stop is something called "Introduction to Djibouti" that's described as follows:

 

"Board the tour buses and begin your sightseeing of Djibouti. Get a glimpse of the Arabic, nomadic and French influences that have shaped the city. After a city orientation drive you will head out of Djibouti into the countryside. About a five-mile drive will take you to Doral, where you will stop to visit a camel farm. Have your camera ready as a dozen or so camels make for a great photo opportunity. The farmers and village children will add to this exotic encounter. You may even want to try milking a camel. (:eek:) Leaving the camel farm, drive toward the city and stop for a refreshment at the Sheraton Hotel, where you will enjoy a 30-minute folklore show poolside."

 

Having already ridden a camel on Lanzarote a couple years ago, methinks I'll probably skip the tour and just check out the town and market and then go back and enjoy the ship! The only problem with that plan is that this is the only port in the midst of six sea days.

 

Mrscrab - I was only kidding about the booze. I just had come up with some sort of comeback to Freddie's rum comment. ;) But I have to say that your post certainly sobered me up about the idea of cruising in this region. Yikes!

[seagirl2002]

I hope it is not the same camel farm I went to 10 years ago. The poor animals could hardly move. They`ve been put on leashes that have been far to short and it has been a really poor sight.

[Winchester Ranger]

I think the cruise lines could make a lot of money out of "Sailing Safari" cruises.

 

You could set up the lucky guests with sniper rifles along the top railing on the promenade decks and award points for the highest number of pirates downed.

 

Selected cabin categories could also be allowed to have "private sniping sessions" from their own balcony for an extra fee.

 

Guests with the highest score would receive drink coupons, and free upgrades to the supper club etc.

[Host Dan]

Strangely enough LeeAnne, I spent a week on the French Yacht in question, Le Ponant, a few years back!!

 

Host Dan

[TheFerret]

I think the cruise lines could make a lot of money out of "Sailing Safari" cruises.

 

You could set up the lucky guests with sniper rifles along the top railing on the promenade decks and award points for the highest number of pirates downed.

 

 

Hey, I just read that to my husband and he said: "Finally, a cruise I would like to take!"

[Hobar]

what a strange new world we have to deal with.

 

gone are the days of jack Sparrow, Will Turner and even Davy Jones.(no..not from the monkees...)

 

we tend to book cruises that are risk adverse, if there is such a thing.i would be more concerned about some ports of call in south america of tourist robberies and kidnappings.

we are doing asia in march and we are not in the south china sea so we are relatively safe.

 

as far as on board security, these guys are scary. from nepal and also former M-5 british intelligence guys. you hardly see them but trust they are there and know their business.

 

also, silversea ships are big and a hassle to even try and board, not to mention the decibel guns on board that would blow most pirate vessels out of the water if they got close.

 

i'd worry moreabout the guy who has had too much to drink.

 

notice though, i am not doing african cruises until they get some of that under control.