When Oceania Cruises’ 684-passenger Nautica was fired upon by pirates in the Gulf of Aden last month, the cruise ship increased speed and easily left the pirates in the dust — er, in the water. From start to finish, the incident lasted five minutes, hardly a disruption in the voyage although the media ran wild with the story (Love Boat Meets Johnny Depp!).
But this is the third time cruise ships have been threatened by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden, so the situation bears exploring. First of all, cruise ships transiting the Suez Canal are either repositioning (the Mediterranean to Asia) or on a world cruise. The only alternative would be to sail around Africa, a continent loaded with very boring ports, and extending the voyage by 14 days.
Cruise lines have a firm policy of never discussing security. Those East Asian men checking you on and off cruise ships are typically Nepalese Ghurkas, considered to be the finest soldiers on earth. You may also spot Israeli’s, also top notch. Prior to 9/11, this was the extent of a cruise ship’s security force. And while European warships patrol the gulf, the Somalis have been very successful at stopping ships and boarding them.
According to the Web site ShipTalk, there have been around 95 pirate attacks in 2008, with 40 freighters held for ransom. But these are all freighters and cargo vessels, not cruise ships.
By the way, when you think about pirates trying to capture a cruise ship, do not envision Johnny Depp. Somalia has no government, its population is starving, so some citizens try to make a living by capturing a ship — cargo or passenger, it doesn’t matter — to hold for ransom. The pirates, who apparently feel misunderstood, recently agreed to be interviewed, their spokesman saying they only want food and money.
Shiptalk reports that companies around the world are frequently hiring private security firms to accompany vessels through the Suez Canal and Gulf Aden. Nick Davis, chief executive of the Anti-Piracy Maritime Security Solutions, says his company has 10 teams on board ships in the region. According to Davis, when pirates approached a ship with his men aboard, they abandoned the vessel upon discovering that there were professionals aboard.
Personally, I won’t be surprised if cruise ships start carrying professional security staff when cruising in the Gulf of Aden. Seabourn Cruises’ ships have been chased twice by pirates. During the first incident in 2005, officers deterred them with a Sonic Gun, a device emitting an hellishly loud that was created by the Defense Department.
So, should you be concerned enough to avoid cruising in this area of the world?
Consider this: there’s a big difference between a cumbersome, slow freighter typically carrying a crew of 10 who know how to tie ropes and a much faster cruise ship with hundreds of staff, including the best soldiers in the world. I certainly won’t hesitate to cruise in this region.
Journalist Anne Campbell has been covering the cruise industry since 1993. She is editor of ShipCritic Blog and Cruising From New York, two Internet sites.
