Cruise ship imposed curfew after fear of pirate attack
Fears of a possible pirate attack forced a cruise liner to ‘go dark’ for 10 days of a 104-day world cruise.
The Sea Princess, carrying 1,900 passengers, left Sydney for Dubai but was forced to impose a dusk-to-dawn curfew as it sailed the Indian Ocean, the Arabian Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the Suez Canal.
The threat of a broadside by Somali pirates was real, the ship captain told passengers.
That led to a silent blackout after dark with no deck parties, open bars or live performances.
All curtains were drawn and all shutters closed, said Australian media specialist Carolyne Jasinski, a passenger on the cruise.
A compulsory pirate drill was given, with passengers taught what to do if the ship ran into pirates and needed to take any evasive action.
It was made very clear on the Sea Princess, very quickly, that this pirate threat was not something to be joked about," Jasinski said.
"Captain Gennaro Arma addressed the ship. He apologised for alarming passengers. However, the threat, he said, was real and the ship must be prepared for a pirate attack."
‘Any measures aboard Sea Princess were simply taken out of an abundance caution and not in response to a specific threat and are common to international shipping sailing in the region,’ a cruise line spokesperson said.
There have reportedly been half a dozen attempts to attack a cruise liner in the last 12 years.
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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