Pirates Attack Cruise Ship

[Stunt]

So pirates are attacking cruise ships off the coast of Somolia...I wonder what Dissipate thinks of these attacks, always hyping up the lack of government.

Interesting news nonetheless. 27 attacks since March.

Pirates attack cruise ship off Somalia
Last Updated Sat, 05 Nov 2005 13:58:08 EST
CBC News

Pirates armed with rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns attacked a cruise ship off Somalia on Saturday, but the vessel managed to evade capture.

Six Canadians were on board the Seabourn Spirit, but none of them was hurt, Foreign Affairs said.

The pirates, driving two speedboats, fired their weapons as they chased the ship, said passenger Mike Rogers of Vancouver. Using a satellite phone, he called Vancouver radio station CKNW to report that he had been awakened by gun fire.

"The captain said through the intercom that we were being attacked," Rogers told later CBC Newsworld. "He said he didn't ring the alarm because he didn't want passengers going on deck and being shot."

The Spirit had 150 passengers and 160 crew members on board when pirates approached at 5:35 a.m. local time.

The president of the Miami-based Seabourn Cruise Line, Deborah Natansohn, said the ship eventually outran the pirates. One person received minor injuries, she said.

Most of the passengers were believed to be Australian, American and Canadian.

The ship was about 70 nautical miles off Somalia, travelling from Alexandria in Egypt to the Kenyan port of Mombasa. The vessel was re-routed to the Seychelles Islands after the attack.

The waters off the Somalian coast are considered the most dangerous in the world.

This week, the London-based International Maritime Bureau said it knew of 27 pirate attacks off Somalia since March.

Source

 

[Rainsford]

You haven't heard of this before? In many parts of the world, piracy is a HUGE problem. In South East Asian waters especially, that's one of the reasons the possibility of a declining US military presence there is a potential problem. Japan is even trying to get restrictions on their military from WWII lifted in order to step in if our presence decreases.

 

[Yzzim]

How does a cruise ship outrun 2 speed boats w/rocket propelled gernades??

 

[Agnostos Insania]

It's not too hard to believe, Africa is basically five millenias behind, bar the introduced technology.

 

[loup garou]

Originally posted by: Yzzim
How does a cruise ship outrun 2 speed boats w/rocket propelled gernades??

They were inflatables, probably little runabouts. The Seabourn Spirit makes 14 knots, which is not fast by any means, but probably enough to kick up a wake and make it hard for 25' inflatables to give chase, not to mention aim an RPG.

:beer: for that captain.

 

[charrison]

Originally posted by: loup garou

Originally posted by: Yzzim
How does a cruise ship outrun 2 speed boats w/rocket propelled gernades??

They were inflatables, probably little runabouts. The Seabourn Spirit makes 14 knots, which is not fast by any means, but probably enough to kick up a wake and make it hard for 25' inflatables to give chase, not to mention aim an RPG.

:beer: for that captain.

Maybe it is time to mount a few 50cal guns on the cruise ship...

 

[mOeeOm]

They didnt blame this on terrorists? : O

 

[arsbanned]

Originally posted by: Agnostos Insania
It's not too hard to believe, Africa is basically five millenias behind, bar the introduced technology.

Piracy is rampant in the South Pacific. as well. The waters off Indonesia for instance. The Tsunami cleaned them away for a while but they are back better than ever!

Originally posted by: loup garou

Originally posted by: Yzzim
How does a cruise ship outrun 2 speed boats w/rocket propelled gernades??

They were inflatables, probably little runabouts. The Seabourn Spirit makes 14 knots, which is not fast by any means, but probably enough to kick up a wake and make it hard for 25' inflatables to give chase, not to mention aim an RPG.

:beer: for that captain.

Yeah man, :beer: from me too. :thumbsup: Kick a*s Captain.

 

[loup garou]

Originally posted by: charrison

Originally posted by: loup garou

Originally posted by: Yzzim
How does a cruise ship outrun 2 speed boats w/rocket propelled gernades??

They were inflatables, probably little runabouts. The Seabourn Spirit makes 14 knots, which is not fast by any means, but probably enough to kick up a wake and make it hard for 25' inflatables to give chase, not to mention aim an RPG.

:beer: for that captain.

Maybe it is time to mount a few 50cal guns on the cruise ship...

Would make skeet shooting off the stern a hell of a lot more fun!

 

[sharkeeper]

nvm

 

[Darkhawk28]

I thought I read somewhere that the Captain tried to run them down too.

If so, that's ballsie. :beer:

 

[Goosemaster]

Originally posted by: Yzzim
How does a cruise ship outrun 2 speed boats w/rocket propelled gernades??

It had a Hemi.

 

[mdchesne]

statistically, this should be shens. 17 in the whole world and they strike? lol

 

[GroundedSailor]

Originally posted by: loup garou

Originally posted by: Yzzim
How does a cruise ship outrun 2 speed boats w/rocket propelled gernades??

They were inflatables, probably little runabouts. The Seabourn Spirit makes 14 knots, which is not fast by any means, but probably enough to kick up a wake and make it hard for 25' inflatables to give chase, not to mention aim an RPG.

:beer: for that captain.

Actually the ship can do over 18 knots see here. 14 knots is about average for a cargo ship, cruise ships are generally faster, mostly in the 20's. Even though they say 18.5 knots, ships generally do not run at max power (normally 85% MCR) so they do have some reserve usually 1-3 knots worth. At those speeds ships can easily run most outboard based boats and inflatables. And the ships wake would make it difficult for small boats to approach the moving ship.

Piracy in South Asian waters has long been a problem. In most cases it is opportunist thieves who target slow moving cargo ships which are loaded and sit low in the water making them easy to board. They board the ship and steal what they can, including personal belongings of the crew, cash in the safe, movable articles like laptops etc. In some cases they leave the moving ship with everyone locked up in a cabin and no one controlling the ship which is on autopilot - a very dangerous situation. Large tankers are specially vulnerable as they are not easily maneuverable and make easy targets. I remember the precautions we used to take when I sailed in those areas. Hiding laptops, cameras etc in various places, keeping a little cash in your drawer or wallet, locking up all the outside doors except the bridge, putting floodlights over the side at deck level, running fire hoses over the side continuously, posting lookouts astern when in certain areas, steering well clear of any small craft etc.

Organized crime too is involved in piracy but I would say at a smaller scale. They have been a few instances of whole ships going missing, crews, cargo, everything. The ship gets a paint job and a new name and usually a false registry. Most of these were thought to be China based gangs with some local govt or military involvement. My info is a few years old and things may have changed. Terrorism is now an added threat to ships.

And yes :beer: for the Capt. for his successful evasion.

 

[GroundedSailor]

Originally posted by: Darkhawk28
I thought I read somewhere that the Captain tried to run them down too.

If so, that's ballsie. :beer:

Ballsie - Yes
Prudent - (with passengers on board and risk of explosion) No

I wouldn't have done it. Ships will always steer away from danger unless there is absolutely no option. Don't forget had he rammed the boat and someone on the boat died, the Capt would be up against criminal charges.

 

[Sixtyfour]

Originally posted by: GroundedSailor
Don't forget had he rammed the boat and someone on the boat died, the Capt would be up against criminal charges.

Sad but propably true.

I wonder why they go cruising to those places without weapons?

 

[Proletariat]

Originally posted by: Sixtyfour

Originally posted by: GroundedSailor
Don't forget had he rammed the boat and someone on the boat died, the Capt would be up against criminal charges.

Sad but propably true.

I wonder why they go cruising to those places without weapons?

:roll:

Face charges from whom? The Somalian government? Oh wait they don't have a government!

 

[arsbanned]

Yeah, that's ridiculous. I doubt he HAD another option. The fact that he nearly rammed was was probably incidental to the whole situation. Allowing the ship to be boarded would definitely be far worse than ramming them. Also, my outboard walk around cuddy (23') will do 25-30 knots. I suspect the large roiling wake and evasive maneuvers are what did the trick.

 

[Rubycon]

Actually the 18 knot figure is the vessel's service speed. The top speed is often considerably higher and rarely disclosed. Folks that know this information first hand are also not willing to discuss it either.

 

[dmcowen674]

Originally posted by: Stunt
Topic Title: Pirates Attack Cruise Ship
Topic Summary: Didn't think these people existed

So pirates are attacking cruise ships off the coast of Somolia...I wonder what Dissipate thinks of these attacks, always hyping up the lack of government.

So where is Bush???

At least Clinton sent a few Blackhawks and got criticized for that.

I normally don't abdigate that we be the World's Policeman but in this situation of innocent people and Americans on the ship, I believe that they should at least get some sort of protection in the 21st Century against Government sanctioned Thugs.

Just one of our fighters sent over with a Fule Tanker would be suffiencient or one of those A-10 Attack planes.

So Republicans where is your hero on this???

 

[loup garou]

Originally posted by: GroundedSailor

Originally posted by: loup garou

Originally posted by: Yzzim
How does a cruise ship outrun 2 speed boats w/rocket propelled gernades??

They were inflatables, probably little runabouts. The Seabourn Spirit makes 14 knots, which is not fast by any means, but probably enough to kick up a wake and make it hard for 25' inflatables to give chase, not to mention aim an RPG.

:beer: for that captain.

Actually the ship can do over 18 knots see here. 14 knots is about average for a cargo ship, cruise ships are generally faster, mostly in the 20's. Even though they say 18.5 knots, ships generally do not run at max power (normally 85% MCR) so they do have some reserve usually 1-3 knots worth. At those speeds ships can easily run most outboard based boats and inflatables. And the ships wake would make it difficult for small boats to approach the moving ship.

Piracy in South Asian waters has long been a problem. In most cases it is opportunist thieves who target slow moving cargo ships which are loaded and sit low in the water making them easy to board. They board the ship and steal what they can, including personal belongings of the crew, cash in the safe, movable articles like laptops etc. In some cases they leave the moving ship with everyone locked up in a cabin and no one controlling the ship which is on autopilot - a very dangerous situation. Large tankers are specially vulnerable as they are not easily maneuverable and make easy targets. I remember the precautions we used to take when I sailed in those areas. Hiding laptops, cameras etc in various places, keeping a little cash in your drawer or wallet, locking up all the outside doors except the bridge, putting floodlights over the side at deck level, running fire hoses over the side continuously, posting lookouts astern when in certain areas, steering well clear of any small craft etc.

Organized crime too is involved in piracy but I would say at a smaller scale. They have been a few instances of whole ships going missing, crews, cargo, everything. The ship gets a paint job and a new name and usually a false registry. Most of these were thought to be China based gangs with some local govt or military involvement. My info is a few years old and things may have changed. Terrorism is now an added threat to ships.

And yes :beer: for the Capt. for his successful evasion.

Weird. That's the site I looked at...I swear it said 14 knots yesterday!

 

[Rubycon]

Originally posted by: dmcowen674


So where is Bush???

At least Clinton sent a few Blackhawks and got criticized for that.

I normally don't abdigate that we be the World's Policeman but in this situation of innocent people and Americans on the ship, I believe that they should at least get some sort of protection in the 21st Century against Government sanctioned Thugs.

Just one of our fighters sent over with a Fule Tanker would be suffiencient or one of those A-10 Attack planes.

So Republicans where is your hero on this???

You know it doesn't take much research to figure out who the ship's owner is.

Justice will be served, it does take time. Don't take your pantyhose off yet.

 

[arsbanned]

Originally posted by: C6FT7
Actually the 18 knot figure is the vessel's service speed. The top speed is often considerably higher and rarely disclosed. Folks that know this information first hand are also not willing to discuss it either.

This is true more often for military ships. Passenger ships not so much. I've worked on carriers that could do 35 knots and probably (wink wink) better.

 

[GroundedSailor]

Originally posted by: Proletariat
:roll:

Face charges from whom? The Somalian government? Oh wait they don't have a government!

From the flag state and the state in whose territorial waters the ship was in when the incident happens. Flag state is the country the ship is registered in.

I know this because - see my username - I have spent 24 years in the merchant marine including being Capt of large deep sea oil tankers.

Originally posted by: arsbanned
Yeah, that's ridiculous. I doubt he HAD another option. The fact that he nearly rammed was was probably incidental to the whole situation. Allowing the ship to be boarded would definitely be far worse than ramming them. Also, my outboard walk around cuddy (23') will do 25-30 knots. I suspect the large roiling wake and evasive maneuvers are what did the trick.

Firstly he didn't ram the boat - read the news reports - he took evading action.
Second not many boats outside the US and Europe have big outboards which are capable of doing 25-30 knots.

I agree allowing boarding is worse than ramming but ramming is not the first option. The Capt took the logical first option of evasion and it worked. Good for him.

 

[Genx87]

Originally posted by: Stunt
So pirates are attacking cruise ships off the coast of Somolia...I wonder what Dissipate thinks of these attacks, always hyping up the lack of government.

Interesting news nonetheless. 27 attacks since March.

Pirates attack cruise ship off Somalia
Last Updated Sat, 05 Nov 2005 13:58:08 EST
CBC News

Pirates armed with rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns attacked a cruise ship off Somalia on Saturday, but the vessel managed to evade capture.

Six Canadians were on board the Seabourn Spirit, but none of them was hurt, Foreign Affairs said.

The pirates, driving two speedboats, fired their weapons as they chased the ship, said passenger Mike Rogers of Vancouver. Using a satellite phone, he called Vancouver radio station CKNW to report that he had been awakened by gun fire.

"The captain said through the intercom that we were being attacked," Rogers told later CBC Newsworld. "He said he didn't ring the alarm because he didn't want passengers going on deck and being shot."

The Spirit had 150 passengers and 160 crew members on board when pirates approached at 5:35 a.m. local time.

The president of the Miami-based Seabourn Cruise Line, Deborah Natansohn, said the ship eventually outran the pirates. One person received minor injuries, she said.

Most of the passengers were believed to be Australian, American and Canadian.

The ship was about 70 nautical miles off Somalia, travelling from Alexandria in Egypt to the Kenyan port of Mombasa. The vessel was re-routed to the Seychelles Islands after the attack.

The waters off the Somalian coast are considered the most dangerous in the world.

This week, the London-based International Maritime Bureau said it knew of 27 pirate attacks off Somalia since March.

Source

In late 2001 some pirates tried to attack a US warship that looked like a merchant ship. When the Navy ship opened up with heavy caliber guns they fled.