You may have seen in the news and on social media last week a Princess ship carried out major precautions for fear of a ‘pirate threat’.
It was reported that the passengers onboard the Princess ship were subject to a dusk-till-dawn blackout by the captain and ordered to go without the standard entertainment for ten days.
The 1,900 passengers aboard the 104-day world cruise departed from Sydney and were reportedly shocked to learn that all curtains must be drawn and shutters closed as it sailed though pirated waters.
Telling her story , one passenger stated the blackout occurred for ten days as the ship travelled across the Indian Ocean, the Arabian Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the Suez Canal.
She said Captain Gennaro Arma addressed the ship and apologised for alarming passengers, but nevertheless insisted the threat was real and the ship ‘must be prepared for a pirate attack’.
‘No deck parties, no movies under the stars, no late-night outdoor bar hopping or pool dipping,’ she reported.
‘No lights, no party atmosphere, no lapping up tropical breezes on their balconies. All around the ship, as the sun set, all curtains were drawn and all shutters closed. Bright lights, which normally signal the presence of the Sea Princess on the ocean, were dimmed or turned off altogether
The Captain was taking this very seriously it quickly emerged that ‘this pirate threat was not something to be joked about’; the captain even shamed the residents of three cabins who refused to take part because, apparently, they did not want to abandon their game of bridge.
During the drill
‘Passengers were sent back to their cabins so they could be counted. They were advised to sit on the floor and to hang on to hand rails in case the ship had to manoeuvre away from pirate ships.’
The threat prompted passengers to constantly alert officials on board of nearby ships that emerged on the horizon and were believed to be potential threats.
A spokesperson for the operator of the cruise said the ship was not facing a specific threat from pirates but the actions were taken as a cautionary measure.
‘Any measures aboard Sea Princess were simply taken out of an abundance caution and not in response to a specific threat and are common to international shipping sailing in the region,’ the spokesperson said.
What many people are surprised to learn is that this is nothing new and all ships sailing in these waters would take precautions. i first was made aware of this on a previous cruise were i was told of armed security guard joining the ship and been positioned strategically out of site of passengers whilst they sailed through these troubled waters.
About Me
Hello, I'm Carl, I was born and still live in Leeds, West Yorkshire with my wife, our 3 year old daughter Ava, along with our first 'child' our 12 year old dog Molly. Since an early age I have always loved being on holiday. From a young age I spent…
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