P and O have advised their clients to close their curtains between 6.30pm and 7.00am, as pirate attacks are most common between dawn and dusk. They will also prevent people from using the promenade deck between these times. Now this may not sound like much of a protective measure, but keeping people from being seen is a huge step in safety. Gone are the days of the Skull and cross bones, pirates swinging from their galleons, with Cutlass and musket in hand, trying to steal your silver? New are pirates are very different indeed. Gangs are armed with automatic rifles and even rocket-propelled grenades, so the less targets they see the better! Looking forward to your cruise?
Although this does sound a little scary, do not be put off your cruise, due to the above. It would take a pretty confident Pirate, to attempt to take a ship of 2000 passengers, plus cruise lines do employ other counter measures. In November 2005, a cruise ship sailing off Somalia repelled armed pirates without returning fire by using bangs to simulate weapons. An international patrol of warships from EU countries has been set up to patrol the waters, plus boarding a cruise ship from a small dingy can be no easy feat. Look outs are on all ships, this coupled with Radar, makes avoiding pirates very easy. Even if they go get close enough, as long as the cruise ship keeps up its speed, boarding is EXTREMELY unlikely. Plus if the cruise lines were really that worried, would they still go? I think not!
Cruise ship security is the industry’s highest priority, and making cruising safe is paramount. The International Maritime Organization assures that security standards are strictly guided by a network of internationally approved standards, and individual cruise lines also have well established security assessment procedures and protocols. With all of the above said, I think if you want to do a world cruise, then why not! Just remember when packing your case to bring your Cutlass!
