Posted on 11/06/2005 7:39:59 AM PST by aculeus
IN MARITIME circles it is regarded as the pinnacle of luxury - a boutique ship that offers its passengers a lifestyle which, like private jets, the top suite at the Ritz and Krug champagne, is reserved for the privileged few.
But in the early hours of yesterday morning, as guests slept in their spacious en-suite cabins complete with sea views, marble bathrooms and mahogany dining rooms, a band of armed pirates was preparing to storm aboard the Seabourn Spirit.
Passengers, some of whom had paid more than £19,000 for the 16-day voyage, were woken at 5.30am when the attack began 100 miles off the coast of Somalia, in the Indian Ocean.
Armed men on board two 25ft inflatable boats fired live bullets and rocket-propelled grenades as they tried to climb aboard the liner. Terrified passengers reported a series of explosions as the pirates fired on the luxurious 10,000-tonne cruise liner.
But despite the onslaught by the heavily armed bandits, the 200-man crew managed to scare them off using a loud acoustic boom to imitate the sound of an explosion.
None of the 302 passengers, 20 of whom were British, were injured, although one crew member was slightly hurt by flying debris from a ricocheted bullet.
The ship was rated as the most luxurious in the world earlier this year by Condé Nast Traveller and has previously boasted passenger lists including Bill Gates and Donald Trump.
Solicitor Norman Fisher, 55, from Hampstead Garden Suburb in north London, was on board working when captain Sven Erik Pedersen announced over the ship's PA system: "Stay inside, we're under attack."
The passengers were told to go to the restaurant as the sound of the grenade and gunfire filled the air.
"I heard what sounded like a crack from outside at 5.50am," said Fisher.
"I looked out of the window and saw a small boat with about five people in it about 20 yards away.
"One of them clearly had a rifle. Later I realised that two of them had rifles and one had some kind of rocket launcher.
"They were firing the rifle and then fired the rocket launcher twice. One of the rockets certainly hit the ship - it went through the side of the liner into a passenger's suite. The couple were in there at the time so it was a bit of an unpleasant experience.
"At first I didn't know what was going on, but when I saw the rocket launcher I started getting a bit scared."
Fisher said the captain tried to ram one of the boats in an attempt to capsize it and stop them getting on board.
"The atmosphere in the restaurant was a little tense. People were pretty good and they weren't panicking, but one or two were certainly looking nervous," he added.
"The captain came in at about 6.30am and explained what was going on and said he was reasonably confident we had lost them. Of course, he got a massive round of applause.
"It was all a very surreal experience - not the kind of thing you expect on a cruise."
The guests, mainly wealthy Americans, were 13 days into a 16-day voyage which had taken them via Jordan, Egypt and the Red Sea. They were due to visit Mombasa in Kenya, where an exclusive safari awaited them.
Barman Richard Fuller, who worked on board, said the passengers were kept inside while the crew attempted to repel the bandits. He said the atmosphere on the ship was still tense.
He said: "A lot of the guest are still nervous. One of the crew suffered minor injuries while he was on deck watch duties. He was hit by a bit of debris but he is all right."
Another passenger, Edith Laird from Seattle, said one of the grenades launched at the ship hit a cabin just a few doors away from where she and her daughter had been sleeping.
In an e-mail sent from the ship, she said: "My daughter saw the pirates out our window.
"There were at least three RPGs that hit the ship, one in a stateroom four doors down from our cabin."
Passenger Mike Rogers of Vancouver said: "The captain tried to run one of the boats over, but they were small boats, about 25ft long.
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"There's some minor damage done to the ship. I believe one of the grenades actually went off in one of the cabins, but everyone on board is fine."
Carol Marlow, a spokeswoman for the Miami-based company Seabourn Cruises owned by US cruise giant Carnival, said the ship was sailing in an area it had sailed many times before and was adhering to international maritime safety regulations.
She said: "All the passengers and crew are safe. The ship's crew immediately initiated a trained response and, as a result of protective and evasive measures taken, the occupants of the small craft were unable to gain access to the ship.
"The ship has diverted so we are now heading to the Republic of the Seychelles rather than Mombasa. We felt that was a more appropriate measure in the light of what has happened.
Reminds me of the Eastwood flick "Bronco Billy." He was a sideshow cowboy, and decided to rob a train. Then he found out horses can't catch modern trains.
$1M divided by 302 passengers is about $3,300 per watch. I don't think all, or even most, of the passengers were the kind that walk around in $3K watches on cruises that go to 3rd world ports of call. Or any kind of real expensive jewelry. And I doubt that a watch that costs $3K in a boutique will fetch that much when pawned in the third world
On a small luxury yacht, the real prize is the yacht's electronics package (radio, radar, sonar, navigation, etc) that can be re-sold to third-world fishing boats. I would think that stuff that is on a major ship might not be the kind of stuff that fits well on a small fishing boat.
I think kidnap/hostage is more likely
Nope, but a .302 could sink it.
african pirates = muslim jihadist extremists
Just another ruse by the media so as to not alarm the sheeples that are being led to the slaughter.
Do not let your guard down and stay armed and alert!
See 39.
Islamakazi plunking is only for those with discriminating tastes and large bankrolls.
An interesting post on another forum:
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"My father is captain on board oil tankers and in his career he had about 10-15 pirate attacks, fortunately all unsuccessful (for the pirates ), most of the attacks happened in Nigeria, Brazil, Ivory Coast and in the Indian ocean.
"He told me that the usual operations on board a ship when in pirates areas are to be as high profile as possible. They have all the ships lights turned on, all but the bridge and one main deck door closed from the inside (usually chained), double crew guards on main deck, bridge and all fire hoses ready.
"Usually, when the pirates see that they will need too much time to board a vessel they give up or change target but when they do attack, fire hoses are as dangerous as weapons because of their pressure they can throw a men overboard or even hurt it badly if he is near the hose.
"Sometimes they had a few guns on board, but they were never used and always kept in the ships safe. Of course, sometimes, mostly in African countries it a good thing to give to the pilot or other authorities that come on board some frozen chickens, cigars, coca-cola and beer boxes and similar "valuables" just to be sure nothing bad would happen while at anchor."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
link
http://powerandmotoryacht.zeroforum.com/zerothread?id=828
"Inflatable boats" -- could you not shoot holes in them? I think I'll get a PA system and some pots and pans for the next time I am attacked.
That only shows on of the boats, However, it is possible to do using a rigid hull boat. the boat just has a lower chance of surviving the attempt.
"At first I didn't know what was going on, but when I saw the rocket launcher I started getting a bit scared."
This was said by a Brit on the ship. You have to chuckle at the way the British can put things in an understated way.
(TV COMMERCIAL)
"Hi, this is isthisnickcool for isthisnickcool cruises. We have a great new cruise for you. Imagine waking up in your beautiful suite, then after having a great breakfast strapping on a kevlar suit. From there you travel to our ship armory and pick up the weapon of your choice. We have a large selection of ranging from side arms to shoulder held systems. After you select your firepower of choice it's up to the main deck to smoke some pirates....."
I would not characterize "100 miles off the coast" as "in a small port". This was an attack in the open sea, and such I was referring to.
Of course, paranoia in a harbor is not an option.
However, aren't ships "foreign territory" of the country of registry and subject to its laws as far as weapons aboard is concerned? This seems to be a quite "fuzzy" international legal area.
Hmmmm...you don't seem so rude after all. Enjoy your Sunday, friend.
I'm not too good at math, but when I divide 19000 by 16, I get 1,187. Right?
Wrong? That's 1187 pounds per day.
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