How Do Cruise Ships Protect Against Pirates

Table Of Content

• How can passengers stay informed about potential pirate threats when booking a cruise?
• How Do Cruise Ships Protect Themselves From Pirate Attacks?
• Have any cruise ships been attacked by pirates?
• Passenger Aboard Cruise Liner Reveals What Happens in a 'Pirate Drill'
• What is the role of international naval forces in combating pirate attacks on cruise ships?
• What Else Should I Know About Cruise Ship Pirate Attacks?

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How can passengers stay informed about potential pirate threats when booking a cruise?

Passengers should follow the instructions of the ship’s crew and security personnel during a pirate attack. This may include moving to designated safe areas, staying indoors, and remaining calm. It is essential to avoid confrontations with the pirates and trust the expertise of the cruise line and authorities involved in resolving the situation.

How Do Cruise Ships Protect Themselves From Pirate Attacks?

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The man on the other end of the line didn't want to give the name of his ship, so the captain refused to state the MSC Melody's position. The captain was relaxed as he enjoyed a drink at the bar of the MSC Melody cruise ship, chatting on Saturday afternoon with two South African passengers. The women asked him if the bands of marauding pirates posed a problem for the cruise. After all, the ship was far -- 1,000 sea miles -- away from the Somali coast as it made its course across the Indian Ocean, a few hundred miles south of the Seychelles, on a 22-day cruise from Durban, South Africa, to Genoa, Italy.

Have any cruise ships been attacked by pirates?

Most of them have had serious defense training, and usually some of that comes from military experience. Often, they're sourced from the Philippines, Nepal, Israel and South Africa, and they are already well trained before they even step onboard. Waters become international past the 12th nautical mile of territorial jurisdiction, and the prescribed Maritime Safety Protection Area is lawfully patrolled by international anti-pirate taskforces.

Without hesitation, passengers began to grab whatever they could find around them. "We immediately began throwing tables and deck chairs at the rope," said Tayler. Have you ever experienced or worried about having an emergency on your vacation? Check the DCL app for the listed time, as it will depend on your seating time for dinner.

To fortify against pirate attacks, cruise ships employ ship hardening techniques designed to make it extremely challenging for pirates to breach the vessel. These techniques involve both physical modifications to the ship and the implementation of security protocols that act as deterrents and obstacles for pirates. On any given sailing, whether in known piracy waters or not, ships monitor movement in the area. Some cruise lines even contract with maritime information, research and tracking companies like Lloyd's Miu; Orbcomm, Inc.; or Global Marine Networks, LLC. They also have the complete ability to track vessels and can show any change in planned itineraries or signs of distress. Other efforts by cruise lines to protect vessels and passengers include vigilant lookouts by officers and crew members for suspicious movement in the water, as well as consistent viewing of surveillance cameras.

Telegraph Travel river and ocean cruises

In such asymmetric conflict situations where a big ship is under threat from a small boat, the best method of defence, says Brooks, is to disrupt the targeting process by separating target and attacker in time or space. In the open seas, the high-risk area is defined by latitudes 15˚ N in the Red Sea and 22K N in the Gulf of Oman; longitude 65˚ E, and a line drawn due east from the African coast along latitude 5˚ S in the Indian Ocean. The skirmish between the passengers and the pirates lasted for several minutes, he says. Suddenly, the pirates opened fire -- Tayler says he counted three salvos of 25 to 30 rounds each.

Are passengers on cruise ships at risk of being harmed in a pirate attack?

Video footage can be crucial in assessing events leading up to an incident, providing evidence for investigations, and supporting any legal proceedings if necessary. A video recording of an announcement on the Queen Mary 2 ocean liner explaining the protocol in the event of a pirate attack as the ship sails through the Suez Canal has gone viral, garnering over 4 million views. The frigate Numancia has detained nine suspected pirates who may have been involved in the attack on the MSC Melody. After being detained, the men were turned over to the authorities in the Seychelles because the attack took place in that country's waters. "It was only through the exemplary work of his crew and he himself that the ship was able to fend off the pirates," cruise passenger Rolf R. Uploaded by user @trogelstad on March 6, the video depicts scenes from a cruise ship accompanied by dramatic on-screen captions detailing a supposed encounter with pirates.

What Else Should I Know About Cruise Ship Pirate Attacks?

One of the primary goals of collaboration with maritime security forces is to obtain up-to-date information on pirate activities in the areas that cruise ships navigate. By sharing information, cruise lines can assess the risk and make informed decisions regarding route planning and security measures. Gathering intelligence on recent pirate attacks or suspicious activity aids in the preparation and implementation of effective preventive measures.

LRADs can be operated manually by security personnel or automatically triggered when suspicious activity is detected, effectively deterring pirates from approaching the ship. The Malacca Strait, a narrow passage between Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore, is another region where piracy poses a significant risk to maritime activities. This heavily trafficked waterway connects the Indian Ocean to the South China Sea and is frequented by both commercial and leisure vessels. Pirate attacks in this area mainly involve armed robbery and theft rather than hostage-taking, but they still pose a risk to the safety of passengers and crew.

Through real-time monitoring, security personnel can quickly assess the situation and take appropriate action. Although these craft – often deployed from larger “mother ships” – might theoretically be faster, their speed advantage is lost in choppy seas. Passengers on board P&O cruise ship Aurora, travelling on its annual world cruise earlier this year, were summoned to a briefing from the captain to be told what to do in case of a pirate attack. Pinto radioed an alarm code to his crew and ordered all passengers to go below deck, immediately. He then called on the helmsman to steer the ship on a zig-zag course to fend off the pirates by creating large waves. The security guards, who by then had arrived at the ship's stern, fired two warning shots into the air.

The control room, manned by security personnel, serves as the nerve center for monitoring the surveillance cameras and coordinating the response in case of a security threat. This control room is equipped with state-of-the-art technology, allowing security personnel to efficiently manage and access the surveillance system. In addition to real-time monitoring, surveillance systems also record all camera feeds, creating a valuable resource for later review and investigation.

In 2005, the cruise ship Seaborne Spirit was attacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia. One of the key aspects of communication is the implementation of clear and secure channels throughout the ship. Cruise ships are equipped with a reliable communication network that includes intercom systems, radios, cell phones, and other mobile communication devices. This allows for immediate communication between different departments and individuals, enabling them to relay information quickly in emergency situations. Although the mere possibility of a pirate attack on a cruise ship makes us shiver, it's still far more common that they'll set sights on the more lucrative cargo industry, as they have done in the past.

And Vago says he believes that accomplices back on the mainland were trying to provide the pirates at sea with assistance. Again and again, the pirate boat would approach the ship and disappear under the stern, only to reemerge. Tayler and his fellow passengers continued to throw chairs despite the gunfire. One passenger was shot in the leg and one bullet grazed the head of a crew member. The armed security staff finally turned up six to eight minutes into the skirmish, passengers claim.