Cruise Ship Escapes Pirate Hijack Attempt

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=...pirate_attack_7

By RODRIQUE NGOWI, Associated Press Writer Sat Nov 5, 4:50 PM ET

NAIROBI, Kenya - Pirates armed with grenade launchers and machine guns tried to hijack a luxury cruise liner off the east African coast Saturday, but the ship outran them, officials said.

Two boats full of pirates approached the Seabourn Spirit about 100 miles off the Somali coast and opened fire while the heavily armed bandits tried to get onboard, said Bruce Good, spokesman for the Miami-based Seabourn Cruise Line, a subsidiary of Carnival Corp.

The ship escaped by shifting to high speed and changing course.

"These are very well-organized pirates," said Andrew Mwangura, head of the Kenyan chapter of the Seafarers Assistance Program. "Somalia's coastline is the most dangerous place in the region in terms of maritime security."

The attackers never got close enough to board the Spirit, but one member of the 161-person crew was injured by shrapnel, cruise line president Deborah Natansohn said.

The vessel's 151 passengers, mostly Americans with some Australians and Europeans, were gathered in a lounge for their safety, Good said. None were injured.

"Our suspicion at this time is that the motive was theft," Good said, adding that the crew had been trained for "various scenarios, including people trying to get on the ship that you don't want on the ship."

The British news agency Press Association said passengers awoke to the sound of gunfire as two 25-foot inflatable boats approached the liner.

Edith Laird of Seattle, who was traveling with her daughter and a friend, told the British Broadcasting Corp. in an e-mail that her daughter saw the pirates out the window.

"There were at least three rocket-propelled grenades that hit the ship, one in a state room," Laird wrote. "We had no idea that this ship could move as fast as it did and (the captain) did his best to run down the pirates."

The Spirit was bound for Mombasa, Kenya, at the end of a 16-day voyage from Alexandria, Egypt. It was expected to reach the Seychelles on Monday, and then continue on its previous schedule to Singapore, company officials said.

The 440-foot-long, 10,000-ton cruise ship, which is registered in the Bahamas, sustained minor damage, Good said. The liner, which had its maiden voyage in 1989, can accommodate 208 guests.

"They took some fire, but it's safe to sail," he said.

There has been a steep rise in piracy this year along Somalia's nearly 2,000-mile coastline, with 15 violent incidents reported between March and August, compared with just two for all of 2004, according to the International Maritime Bureau, a division of the International Chamber of Commerce that tracks trends in piracy.

In June, a U.N.-chartered ship carrying 935 tons of rice for Somali victims of the Asian tsunami was hijacked by pirates, who held crew members hostage for three months before releasing them.

Somalia has had no effective central government since opposition leaders ousted dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991. The leaders then turned on each other, transforming this nation of 7 million into a patchwork of battling fiefdoms ruled by heavily armed militias.

___

Associated Press reporter Jennifer Kay in Miami contributed to this report.

thats awesome..

pirates..damn.

for real, that was my same reaction. they still roamin the seas, looing for loot

I wonder what a chop shop for cruise ships looks like.

somalia is all fucked up, its the only country in the world without a government.

"...as two 25-foot inflatable boats approached the liner."

<scratches head>

im bout to get down with these niggas

hah, on the news when they were showing the map of where the hijack attempt happened, they used an x like they have on pirate maps.

^^haha...

I knew there were still a few pirates roaming the high seas but I didn't think they were doing such big heists. Mostly small ships from what I understood. Apparently they beleive the same group hijacked another cargo ship I think a year ago or something...

COOL

someone is going to walk the plank :skull2:

what do they look like?

im gonna say black

Really?

i wanna be a pirate...whos down to join a pirate crew?

PARLAY!!!!

wait a second, these guys still exsist?

^ fo sho do hoe. YARGH

pirates these days are modern and shit....with guns and speed boats.

There are heaps of pirates in SE asia, australian tycoons go up on their luxury yachts and take assault rifles and shit...fresh

YAARRR DURTY LANDLUBBERS!!!!

Originally posted by Jimmy Jump@Nov 6 2005, 08:47 PM

"...as two 25-foot inflatable boats approached the liner."

 

<scratches head>

Quoted post

they obviously deployed them from a bigger ship, as they were 100 miles offshore..

Shouldn't it be YAARRRRRRR instaed of argh? Aargh is frustration, no?

Next- a bad pirate joke....

So a pirate walks into a bar with the steering wheel thingy from a ship attached to his testicles. he is obviously in a lot of pain and has trouble sitting at the bar. The Bartender offers him a drink and after serving him asks, "Doesn't that hurt?" The pirate says --- Yes, it's driving me nuts!

I know- sorry. had to.

i heard steve's behind the whole thing

Originally posted by HYDRO BILL@Nov 6 2005, 11:00 PM

Shouldn't it be YAARRRRRRR instaed of argh? Aargh is frustration, no?

 

 

Next- a bad pirate joke....

 

So a pirate walks into a bar with the steering wheel thingy from a ship attached to his testicles. he is obviously in a lot of pain and has trouble sitting at the bar. The Bartender offers him a drink and after serving him asks, "Doesn't that hurt?" The pirate says --- Yes, it's driving me nuts!

 

I know- sorry. had to.

Quoted post

You're thinking of the "helm". I always wanted to be a pirate but had to settle for "Pickpocket of the wealthy businessmen/women". Also, I hate the sea.

Originally posted by HYDRO BILL@Nov 6 2005, 09:00 PM

Shouldn't it be YAARRRRRRR instaed of argh? Aargh is frustration, no?

 

 

Next- a bad pirate joke....

 

So a pirate walks into a bar with the steering wheel thingy from a ship attached to his testicles. he is obviously in a lot of pain and has trouble sitting at the bar. The Bartender offers him a drink and after serving him asks, "Doesn't that hurt?" The pirate says --- Yes, it's driving me nuts!

 

I know- sorry. had to.

Quoted post

and who says a pirate can't be frustrated? they're always looking for the burried treasure, for years and years, with no avail. now that's some frustration if you ask me.

I was beginning to wonder what happened to all the pirates...glad to see somebody keeping it real old school, like people that still draw that funny S everyone used to make in grade school and I think was adopted as a stussy logo(bad move) for a brief period of time.

EUUURGHGHGHG

But yea, pirates are fucking cool no doubt.

With the updated weapons and high powered vessels I dont understand why they are not more common/powerful.

The opportunity to post this only comes up so often, so I will take full advantage of this thread: