‘We are under attack by pirates’: The threat to cruise ships that refuses to go away

Piracy on the high seas sounds like something from a bygone era, but the menace of armed robbery is still a very real threat in certain parts of the world.

The menace posed to cruise ships in particular hit the headlines recently when holidaymakers aboard Cunard’s Queen Anne were told to turn off their cabin lights and avoid outside decks as they sailed through a notorious area of the Philippines.

An announcement on board, recorded and shared by TikTok user @lilydapink, said: “This area is known for piracy threats, therefore we will be operating at a heightened level of security alertness. In the unlikely event of an emergency, a broadcast will be made by the bridge.”

In the past, cruise ships have been attacked and even boarded – during one such incident, passengers tried to fight off armed pirates themselves by throwing furniture. But is the lingering danger real, and how do cruise ships prepare for it?

How many cruise ships have been attacked by pirates?

There have been six reported attacks on cruise ships since 2005. Le Ponant was boarded was off the coast of Somalia in 2008, as was the MSC Melody in 2009; Seabourn Spirit was fired upon in the same waters in 2005; in 2008, Nautica was fired upon in the Gulf of Aden; Saga’s Spirit of Adventure was threatened when pirates closed off the coast of Tanzania in 2011; and in 2012, several small boats approached Azamara Journey off the coast of Oman.

Has a cruise ship ever been successfully hijacked?

French sailing ship Le Ponant was boarded by pirates off the coast of Somalia in 2008. The 32-cabin vessel was carrying 30 crew but no passengers. A French frigate and a helicopter from a Canadian warship were sent to track the yacht. The hostages were later released, unharmed, after the payment of a £2 million ransom.

France then mounted a commando raid on the mainland to capture the kidnappers, who were put on trial in Paris. Four of the Somali pirates received sentences ranging from four to 10 years. The vessel continues to sail for Ponant.

How common are attacks on ships in general?

The waters off Somalia, Indonesia and the Singapore Straits became more dangerous for merchant shipping in 2024 than the previous year, contributing to the 116 piracy incidents – more than two a week – reported worldwide to the International Maritime Bureau. Other incidents took place in Bangladesh, the Gulf of Guinea, Colombia and Guyana.

In all, 94 vessels were boarded, there were 13 attempted attacks, six vessels were hijacked and three fired upon. The number of crew taken hostage rose from 73 in 2023 to 126 last year and guns were used in 26 attacks. None of the vessels were carrying passengers and no cruise ships were involved.

What is the International Maritime Bureau?

Set up in 1981, initially to combat fraud at sea, the IMB now deals with international piracy from its base in Wapping, east London – appropriately close to Execution Dock, where Scottish buccaneer Captain William Kidd was hanged in 1701.

The non-profit-making organisation tracks all cases of piracy (defined as being on the open seas), as well as armed robbery (in territorial waters). Threats to shipping vary from thefts from vessels in port to kidnap and ransom of crew. The bureau can also broadcast radio warnings to ships during live incidents.

What happens when pirates make an attack on a cruise ship?

In November 2008, Jason Gelineau was the general manager on board Oceania ship Nautica in the Gulf of Aden when he heard “Mr Skylight, contact reception” – the line’s codeword for pirate activity.

Two skiffs were approaching the bow and stern of the ship, firing into the air. Captain Jurica Brajcic took immediate action by starting a zig-zag manoeuvre to create a wake that would capsize the boats if they came close. Meanwhile, security – mostly ex-military personnel from India or Israel – who were on a 24-hour watch, had water cannons set up on both port and starboard sides, and were setting up long-range acoustic devices installed on the bridge wings.

“The captain, usually a very stoic person, was shaking,” Mr Gelineau said afterwards. “He told me the skiffs had come as close as 300m, then stopped and turned towards a cargo ship sailing in the opposite direction.”

What’s it like to be in an attack?

Donna Meads-Barlow was on MSC Melody with her husband and three children off the coast of Somalia in April 2009 when the cruise director announced: “We are under attack by pirates. Please stay in your cabin, keep the curtains shut and the lights out. Please don’t panic, help is on its way.” Mrs Meads-Barlow gathered her sleeping children from another cabin and prayed as she heard banging and shouting during the night.

“We could hear a heck of a commotion going on outside in the corridors of our cabin”, she recounted, “and what was even more scary was that we didn’t know if the pirates had boarded and taken control of our ship… We lay there for hours and held hands so tight that we almost cut off circulation.”

When she and her husband Brian ventured out the next morning, they found windows shattered by bullets. “People were everywhere, talking and pointing and just outside the Blue Ribard Bar, at exactly the lounge chairs we were sitting at the previous night, was a shattered window with a huge bullet hole through it.”

It transpired that eight pirates wearing balaclavas had tried to board the ship and opened fire with AK-47 rifles. Security guards fired eight shots into the air and let off two emergency flares to scare them away while some of the 1,200 passengers took matters into their own hands and hurled tables and chairs down at them. “It was like war,” Captain Ciro Pinto recounted the following day. A Spanish warship eventually arrived to escort MSC Melody from the area.

Is there any real threat of piracy to cruise ships?

Cyrus Mody, the IMB’s deputy director, was surprised to read the report about Queen Anne as, even in Somalia, pirate attacks are markedly reduced compared to the worst years of 2008-2012 and 2021-22. Rather, he regards the whole of south-east Asia – including Indonesia and the Philippines – as of minimal risk for cruise ships.

“The only point of access to the vessel I would visualise is from the stern and when a cruise ship is under way she’s churning up a lot of water behind, so getting to her would be a task,” he said. “Unlike merchant vessels, cruise ships are also very well enclosed so are much more difficult for a robber to board.

“Then there’s the sheer number of people around. To hijack a vessel you need to get command of the bridge – and the pirates would have to get up 17 decks or so to get there. Plus cruise ships have their own security.”

What precautions do cruise ships take?

The threat is now minimal, but over the last few decades, there have been various precautions that ships have taken. Rosanna Ivkovic was a hostess on Fred Olsen’s Black Watch during a five-month world cruise in 2014. “When we were approaching the Somalia region, a specialist team came on board,” she says.

“Barbed wire was installed around the railings of the ship, as well as water cannons, and we had armed specialists on constant watch. We spent a day at sea rehearsing how we should act if pirates came aboard with passengers being allocated ‘safe’ areas in corridors away from windows and exterior doors.”

In 2005, crew on Seabourn Spirit used a water hose and sonic weapon to repel pirates who fired machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades at the ship.

Six years later, hundreds of passengers on Saga’s Spirit of Adventure who had just sat down to a formal dinner were ordered below deck when pirates closed in off the coast of Tanzania.

What do the cruise lines say?

A spokesperson for industry body CLIA said: “Our members prioritise safety and security in all their operations and closely monitor planned routes, including working closely with global security experts and government authorities.

“Cruise lines also have the unique ability to adjust routes and itineraries if needed in the best interest of passengers and crew. Cruise lines have maintained an exceptional safety record thanks to ongoing intensive training, vigilance and response plans, which include a strong coordinated approach across the maritime sector and with international bodies.”

A Cunard spokesperson said of the Queen Anne story: “As part of standard maritime procedures, our captains may make precautionary announcements when sailing through certain regions. There was no specific threat to the ship or its guests, and our onboard experience remained uninterrupted.”