Catching up with the recent cruise news events in the daily telegraph and I read an article about Somali Pirates.. Thought a quick over view may be interesting to you all?..The Discovery ship, of Voyages of Discovery was cruising through Mobassa over towards the Indian Ocean when they were alerted by a ‘Code Purple, call over the tannoy systems during early breakfast – about 7.30am. To a speedboat that had come up along side the port side of the ship about 100 yards away, the quick acting crew and captain are recognised for their rapid actions, when all the Filipino crew rushed to their emergency stations. Ironically this happened just hours before a practice was due to take place.
The speedboat was parallel to the ship, obviously sussing the ship as potential targets were loaded with rocket propelled grenades clearly visible. They were warned by the two warning shot flares sent by Captain Brocklehurst that the ships crew were aware of their presence and by all accounts the speedboat feel astern of the ship and veered off westward. The article attributes this close shave to the impressive defences of the ship, razor wire all over the stern rail, bundles of logs ready to be released to fall onto any craft trying to attach itself to the hull.
News quickly spread to the rest of the ship, but in the main, most of the passengers were unaware of any potential threat and it became nothing more than passing chat over dinner.. These incidents, although very few and far between the situations are controlled tightly by the cruise line and the crew onboard, regular training on how to handle the situations are in depth and no passengers should ever feel unsafe on board a big liner.
A voyage of Discovery official statement for the Daily Telegraph says:
The incident in question, which occurred in April, saw a small skiff operating as part of a group of three. The skiff left the other two and approached Discovery but never near enough to present a real threat. It then rejoined the other boats after a very short time. It remains unclear who was on board the boat and what its intentions were. "The safety of our guests remains our highest priority. Our crew members, security teams and procedures are capable of responding to a wide variety of challenges. All ships operating in an area with a perceived high risk of pirate activity follow standard maritime procedures. This includes being able to reach military vessels, which patrol the area, at a moment's notice should the need arise."
Has anyone got any experience of this worth sharing??
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