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Africa Horn

Pirates attack luxury cruise liner off coast of Somalia

2014-03-02

British passengers aboard a luxury cruise liner are recovering after the ship was attacked off the coast of Africa by pirates firing a rocket propelled grenade and machine guns. The Bahamas-registered Seabourn Spirit was 100 miles off the coast of Somalia when the attack took place. Terrified passengers were woken by the sound of gunfire as two 25 foot rigid inflatable boats came up to the liner and started shooting as their occupants tried to get on aboard. There were 18 British passengers on board, but all were reported to be safe after the incident. The ship was carrying 302 passengers and crew, but there was only one casualty -- a crew member suffered minor injuries from flying debris. It is not believed that the bazooka fire struck the ship, but it was hit by small arms fire. The vessel escaped with only minor damage. The crew used an on-board loud acoustic bang to repel the attackers who finally sped off without managing to board the liner. They did not return fire at the pirates. This is when that joke advertisement about a cruise ship for people who want to hunt the pirates begins to make serious sense... The drama happened in an area notorious for pirate activity, leading to warnings to stay away from the coast where bandits board ships and demand ransoms. David Dingle, a spokesman for the Miami-based company Seabourn Cruises, owned by US cruise giant Carnival, said Britons were aboard but he could not confirm the number. He said the ship was en route to Mombasa in Kenya on a 16-day cruise out of Alexandria in Egypt. The 10,000-ton liner offers the height of luxury, with huge suites, marble bathrooms and more than one crew member to each passenger on board. Most of the passengers are believed to be American. Perhaps it should offer a gun deck, choice of weapons and lots of ammo... "The ship's crew immediately initiated a trained response and as a result of protective and evasive measures taken the occupants of the small craft were unable to gain access to the ship," Mr Dingle said. He said that when the rocket propelled grenade-type weapon was fired at the ship, the crew and passengers remained calm. Oh sure they were... "The passengers were somewhat surprised and shocked because it happened at 5.30am in the morning and they were woken," he explained. "The passengers were mustered in a public room, told what was going on and reassured that we were fighting off the attack. They were shocked but no passengers were injured whatsoever. "We are extremely pleased that all the measures worked. The captain and crew did a fantastic job." The ship has now cancelled its stop at Africa Mombasa and will end the cruise in the Seychelles on Monday. Mr Dingle said authorities in the US and the Department of Transport in the UK have been informed of the attack. He said the company had no reason to believe it was a terrorist attack and all the evidence pointed to pirates. Is there a practical difference?

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Africa Horn

The sailor's hosepipe that sent the pirates packing

2007-05-17

It sounds like a scene from a swashbuckling Hollywood film - brave sailor fights off marauding band of pirates armed to the teeth. But for Michael Groves, it was terrifying reality. He was the security officer on a cruise ship when a dozen Somalis in two boats opened fire with rocket launchers and machine guns. The 41-year-old ex-policeman repelled the raiders with a highpressure hose and a hi-tech sonic cannon. He described his ordeal after receiving the Queen's Gallantry Medal - the third-highest civilian bravery award - at Buckingham Palace. Mr Groves, from the West Midlands, was working on board the £500-a-night liner Seabourn Spirit as it cruised the Indian Ocean 100 miles east of Somalia in November 2005. It carries 200 passengers and 150 crew. Alerted by a look-out at 6am, Mr Groves rushed to the deck to see the pirates brandishing machine guns and a rocket launcher. As they shot at him with Kalashnikovs, he unreeled a high-pressure hose and returned fire with a jet of water, forcing them to retreat. Asked what was going through his mind at the time, Mr Groves joked: "Almost a couple of bullets." n the brief respite, he began to prepare the other weapon in the ship's armoury - the sonic cannon - known technically as a Long Range Acoustic Device. The LRAD is an acoustic weapon developed by the U.S. Navy to repel small boats. It can direct a 150-decibel blast of ear-splitting noise at its target. "As soon as I went on the deck I came under automatic fire," he said. "A rocket grenade blew me off my feet. The next thing I remember is rolling around and trying to check for shrapnel." He radioed for help and his Master of Arms, Som Bahdur Gurung, arrived on the deck. Mr Gurung, 46, a Gurkha, managed to fire the LRAD - hitting the pirates with the powerful beam of sound. As shots and a second rocket holed the ship, Mr Gurung was hit by a bullet. Mr Groves, who has also served in the Royal Navy, said: "I saw a spray of blood and he just went straight down. I thought he was gone but he opened one eye and told me not to worry about him." Mr Groves dragged Mr Gurung to safety, returned to the LRAD and directed it towards the boats. While the attack was raging, the ship's Norwegian captain, Sven Erik Pederson, sent an international distress signal then tried to ram the pirates, telling passengers over the PA system: "Stay inside, we're under attack." After about 30 minutes the pirates fled the scene. Mr Groves said he feared the women on the ship would have been raped if the pirates had managed to get on board. "The guests and the crew are still recovering from the trauma. There was a lot of screaming on the lower decks." Mr Gurung, originally from Nepal and now living in Southend, received the Queen's Commendation for Bravery.

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Africa: Horn

'Mother ship' behind pirate raids

2005-11-11

Okay. Who called it? Pirate attacks off Somalia's coast are being organised from command vessels, or "mother ships", the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) has said. It says speedboats are being launched from ships that prowl the routes of the Indian Ocean, searching for targets. Last week, a luxury cruise liner off Somalia's coast was attacked by pirates with rocket-propelled grenades. The IMB says pirates are still holding seven ships and their crews, seized in the world's most dangerous waters. In the past few days, at least four other vessels are reported to have been attacked. Captain Pottengal Mukundan, director of the IMB, says pirate attacks are being launched from at least two "mother ships". Real simple solution to that... Capt Mukundan says speedboats carry out the attempted hijacks before returning to the larger vessels floating at sea. This means even ships sailing far off the coast are vulnerable to attack. He says the situation off the coast of Somalia appears to be completely out of control. Ya don't say? The IMB has recorded more than 30 hijack attempts in the region since March. These latest attacks follow a thwarted attempt by pirates in small boats to commandeer the luxury liner, the Seabourn Spirit, which was steaming some 100 miles (160km) off the Somali coast last week. But the liner's crew took evasive action, repelling the attackers without returning fire. Might be time to return fire, perhaps?

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International-UN-NGOs

Weekly Piracy Report 1-7 November 2005

2005-11-09

Somalia - NE and Eastern Coast Twenty eight incidents have been reported since March 15, 2005. Heavily armed pirates are now attacking ships further away from the coast. Ships not making scheduled calls at Somali ports are advised to keep at least 200 nm from the Somali coast. Recently Reported Incidents November 06, 2005 at 0648 UTC in position 02:29.3N - 048:28.2E, east coast of Somalia. Pirates armed with rocket launchers and machineguns fired upon a RORO ship underway. Master took evasive manoeuvres and increased speed to maximum. Pirates’ boats fell behind and ceased firing. Bridge windows were damaged due to gunfire. November 05, 2005 at 1200 UTC in position 04:26.3N - 054:14.6E, off east coast Somalia. A bulk carrier underway spotted a craft drifting 16nm away. When ship came close the craft suddenly increased speed and chased the bulk carrier. Master took evasive manoeuvres, increased speed and moved away from the coast. Craft continued the chase until 1400 UTC before moving away. Craft had one derrick and master suspects this may be a mother ship to launch speedboats who attack ships. November 05, 2005, around 0225 UTC, in position 02:59N - 048:01E, 70 nm from east coast of Somalia. Six heavily armed pirates in two boats chased cruise ship, Seabourn Spirit underway. They fired with rocket launchers and machine guns causing damage to ship’s side. Master took evasive manoeuvres and sailed away from the coast. Pirates aborted the attempt and fled. One crew sustained injuries to his hand. October 31, 2005 at 1900 LT at Basrah oil terminal Alfa anchorage, Iraq. Three robbers armed with machine guns and knives boarded a tanker. They tied up two crewmembers at forecastle and entered accommodation. Then they took three crewmembers as hostage and went to master's cabin and fired shots at stairs. Robbers ransacked master's cabin and escaped with ship's safe. October 30, 2005 at 0130 LT at Bahia del Sol, El Salvador. Four armed robbers boarded a yacht at anchor. They broke in to skipper’s cabin. Alarm was raised and robbers jumped into water leaving behind two machetes. An accomplice waiting in a fishing boat picked them up. Robbers then fired gun shots at the yacht before leaving the scene. No injuries to crew. Incident reported to authorities who began patrolling the anchorage during night.

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Africa: Horn

Cruiseship officers hailed for fending off pirates

2005-11-09

The Norwegian officers on board a luxury cruiseship were being hailed this week for their success in thwarting a pirate attack in international waters off the east coast of Africa. The drama took place on board the former Norwegian cruise ship Seabourn Spirit, which is now part of Carnival Cruises but still has Norwegian officers on board. They managed to scare off and out-maneuver two speedboats full of pirates who had fired at the cruiseship while most guests were asleep late last week. The pirates chased after the cruiseship armed with automatic weapons and grenades. The attack took place about 160 kilometers from the coast of Somalia, an area known for piracy attacks. The cruiseship's officers and crew responded with special equipment that sounds like canons exploding, and the vessel set a zig-zag course aimed at foiling its attackers. The tactics proved successful, and the pirates eventually gave up their chase. The vessel had been on its way from Alexandria, Egypt to Kenya, but ended up dropping its planned port call at Mombasa. Bruce Good, information chief for Seabourn, said the vessel's Norwegian captain was initially being shielded from media inquiries about the attack but Good lauded his success in fending off the pirates. Good said the vessel recently had been through an anti-piracy drill, but it was the first time a Seabourn vessel had been the target of an attack.

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Africa: Horn

Piracy, assassination attempt point to al-Qaeda presence in Somalia

2005-11-08

A failed assassination attack on the Prime Minister of Somalia and an attempt to hijack a luxury American cruise ship off the coast has reinforced fears that the country is spiralling out of control as a centre of al Qaeda terrorism. "Inspector! How do you do it?" The unsuccessful attack by pirates at the weekend was the first on a luxury cruise liner in the area. But just one in an apparently unending series of attacks on shipping of all sorts... Three people were killed in the attack on the Prime Minister, Ali Mohamed Gedi, as he visited the chaotic capital Mogadishu. He was unharmed in the explosion set off near his convoy, witnesses said. Gedi was visiting from Jowhar, where his Government is based. Officials said he was travelling from the airport into the centre of the city when his convoy was attacked by gunmen, who hurled grenades and detonated a landmine. At least one of Gedi's bodyguards was reported to be among the dead. On the other hand, it could be typical warlord-generated festivities. Political collapse in this failed state has created a power vacuum that is posing a danger to Somalis and the outside world. Since 2003, Somalia has witnessed the rise of a new, ruthless, independent jihadi network with links to al Qaeda. The former Italian colony has been without a functioning national Government for 14 years and a transitional Parliament, sworn in last year, has failed to end the anarchy. Any government rules with the consent of the governed, at least until they get the governed by the snarglies... In the rubble-strewn streets of the ruined capital of Mogadishu, al Qaeda operatives, jihadi extremists, Ethiopian security services and Western-backed counter-terrorism agents are engaged in a shadowy and complex contest of intimidation, abduction and assassination. I'd just stick with the assassinations. The arguments are shorter and they don't recur. Somali pirates armed with rocket-propelled grenades launched an attack on Seabourn Spirit as it rounded the Horn of Africa. They were repelled by the ship's crew who set off electronic countermeasures, described as a "huge bang" by passengers. Seabourn Spirit was carrying 302 passengers and crew, most of them Americans as well as some Britons and Australians. Aaaarrrr! A tasty prize fer them sailin' under the Jolly Roger! Yesterday there were calls for a naval taskforce to try to stop attacks in Somali waters - among the most dangerous in the world, with 27 cases of hijackings since March. But it is unlikely such a force would quell the lawlessness which has racked the country for decades. Perhaps not, but I'll bet they could burn or sink all the boats in sight. Then the pirates could stand on the shore and hurl imprecations at passing ships. During the 1990s, extremism in Somalia was centred on the al-Ittihaad al-Islaami, a band of Wahhabi militants bent on establishing an Islamic emirate. Al Qaeda also became established and attacked US and UN peacekeepers, using the country as a transit zone for terrorism in neighbouring Kenya. Leading members of al Qaeda's East African network still hide in Somalia, according to the International Crisis Group.

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Africa: Horn

Update: Somali Cruise Ship Attackers Sound-blasted

2005-11-08

HT to Drudge The crew of a luxury cruise ship used a sonic weapon that blasts earsplitting noise in a directed beam while being attacked by a gang of pirates off Africa this weekend, the cruise line said Monday. The Seabourn Spirit had a Long Range Acoustic Device, or LRAD, installed as a part of its defense systems, said Bruce Good, a spokesman for Miami-based Seabourn Cruise Line. The Spirit was about 100 miles off Somalia when pirates fired rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns as they tried to get onboard. The subsidiary of Carnival Corp. was investigating whether the weapon was successful in warding off the pirates, he said. The ship's captain also changed its course, shifted into high speed and headed out into the open sea to elude the pirates, who were in two small boats, he said. Device maker American Technology Corp. said earsplitting "bangs" were directed by trained security personnel toward the pirates. That, combined with ship maneuvers, caused the attackers to leave the area, the company said. The LRAD is a so-called "non-lethal weapon" developed for the U.S. military after the 2000 attack on the USS Cole off Yemen as a way to keep operators of small boats from approaching U.S. warships. The military version is a 45-pound, dish-shaped device that can direct a high-pitched, piercing tone with a tight beam. Neither the LRAD's operators or others in the immediate area are affected. American Technology, based in San Diego, compares its shrill tone to that of smoke detectors, only much louder. It can be as loud as about 150 decibels, while smoke alarms are about 80 to 90 decibels. The devices have been deployed on commercial and naval vessels worldwide since summer 2003, the company said. exxccceellennnt. Now look for the balance-deprived scurvy dogs with blood coming from their ears. Hang em

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Africa: Horn

Rocket embedded in cruise ship

2005-11-07

WND. Salt as needed. EFL A U.S. cruise liner attacked with machine-gun fire and rocket-propelled grenades off the coast of Somalia may have been the target of a terrorist high-sea assault, says Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer. The Seabourn Spirit, carrying 312 people including passengers and crew, is nearing a port in the Seychelles, but arrival may be delayed because an unexploded missile is embedded in the vessel, said the official, who is monitoring the ship's progress because about 19 Australians are on board. Passengers on the ship were awakened Saturday at dawn by the sound of machine-gun fire and the impact of the missile. The attack occurred about 100 miles off the coast of Somalia. "We're not sure whether in the early stages the ship will be able to tie up at the wharf there because of concern about an unexploded rocket that is embedded in some of the passenger accommodation of the ship," Downer told Australia's Nine Network. "American officials are going to board it initially to deal with that problem, and once that problem's dealt with then our consular officer will be able to go on board as well." Initial reports identified the attackers as pirates. The area is notorious for piracy. But Downer said it may have been a terrorist attack. "The whole thing is an extraordinary story, that it would be attacked by, we're not quite sure who at this stage, but it's possible the people who attacked the ship were terrorists," he said. Downer based his assessment on the methodology of the attack. The ship was on its way Alexandria, Egypt, to the Kenyan port of Mombasa where it was due to pick up more passengers. Passengers reported the attackers were close enough to be seen. "It was a frightening experience to see the flash of a rocket launcher and you just wonder what's about to happen to you in the next couple of seconds," one passenger recounted to the Australian Seven Network. She reported the captain stayed calm, warning passengers: "We have people shooting at us, we are going to try to outrun them." In March of this year, a Philippine military report based on interrogations of captured terrorists said two al-Qaida-linked groups were training members in scuba diving in preparation for seaborne attacks. Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida terrorist network had one of its first major successes in Somalia, the ambush of U.S. peacekeeping forces that resulted in the slaughter of 19 American troops in 1993 in the famous "Blackhawk Down" Mogadishu raid.

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Africa: Horn

Attack on Ship Shows Pirates Emboldened

2005-11-07

The violent attack on a cruise liner off Somalia's coast shows pirates from the anarchic country on the Horn of Africa are becoming bolder and more ambitious in their efforts to hijack ships for ransom and loot, a maritime official warned Sunday. Judging by the location of Saturday's attack, the pirates likely were from the same group that hijacked a U.N.-chartered aid ship in June and held its crew and food cargo hostage for 100 days, said Andrew Mwangura, head of the Kenyan chapter of the Seafarers Assistance Program. That gang is one of three well-organized pirate groups on the 1,880-mile coast of Somalia, which has had no effective government since opposition leaders ousted a dictatorship in 1991 and then turned on each other, leaving the nation of 7 million a patchwork of warlord fiefdoms. That's... ummm... divide by eleven, carry the six, square root of 29... 14 years of uninterrupted Emma Goldmann-style anarchy. Illustrating the chaos, attackers in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, threw grenades and exploded a land mine Sunday near a convoy carrying the prime minister of a transitional government that has been trying to exert control since late last year. The attack, which killed at least five bodyguards, was the second in six months involving explosions near Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi, whose internally divided government spends much of its time in Kenya. That's probably the most intelligent thing they could do, next to dropping the idea of trying to govern Somalia. Somaliland and Puntland seem to be getting along okay, so maybe the long-term goal should be to just let the area break up into squabbling ministates. Either that, or tear the whole place down and put in a Wal-Mart. Even before the attack on the liner Seabourn Spirit, Gedi had urged neighboring countries to send warships to patrol Somalia's coast, which is Africa's longest and lies along key shipping lanes linking the Mediterranean with the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean. U.S. and NATO warships patrol the region to protect vessels in deeper waters farther out, but they are not permitted in Somali territorial waters. That raises an interesting question: Somalia has no government, so who is doing the forbidding? And what are they going to do if we simply ignore the restriction? Despite those patrols, the heavily armed pirates approached the cruise ship about 100 miles at sea, underlining their increasing audacity. The International Maritime Bureau has for several months warned ships to stay at least 150 miles away from Somalia's coast, citing 25 pirate attacks in those waters since March 15 — compared with just two for all of 2004. Somali pirates are trained fighters with maritime knowledge, identifying targets by listening to the international radio channel used by ships at sea, Mwangura said. "Sometimes they trick the mariners by pretending that they have a problem and they should come to assist them — they send bogus distress signals," he said. "They are getting more powerful, more vicious and bolder day by day." The Royal Navy used to be pretty good at cleaning out nests of pirates and hanging them. The U.S. didn't do badly at it, either — think Stephen Decatur. I think it would be a damned legitimate operation in support of the War on Terror to send in the Marines, whether Royal or U.S. or both.

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Africa: Horn

Cruise Ship Escapes Pirate Hijack Attempt

2005-11-06

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) - 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.'' Which is why you send cruise ships there. 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.'' Theft? Really? Pirates interested in theft? 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.'' "Hey Mom! Check this out! What will those Disney guys think of next on our cruise?!" 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.

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Africa: Horn

Pirates attack cruise ship

2005-11-05

Pirates fired a rocket-propelled grenade and machine guns Saturday in an attack on a luxury cruise liner off the east African coast, the vessel's owners said. Two armed boats approached the Seabourn Spirit about 100 miles off the coast of Somalia and fired as the boats' occupants attempted to get onboard, said Bruce Good, a spokesman for Miami-based Seabourn Cruise Line, a subsidiary of Carnival Corp. The ship outran them and changed its course. "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 attackers never got close enough to board the Spirit, but one member of the 161-person crew was injured by shrapnel, said Debrah Natansohn, president of the cruise line. Press Association, the British news agency, said passengers awoke to the sound of gunfire as two 25-foot inflatable boats approached the liner. Edith Laird of Seattle, who was traveling on the ship with her daughter and a friend, told British Broadcasting Corp. TV in an e-mail that her daughter saw the pirates out of their 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 vessel's 151 passengers, mostly Americans with some Australians and Europeans, were gathered in a lounge for their safety, Good said. None were injured. The Spirit had been bound for Mombasa, Kenya, at the end of a 16-day voyage from Alexandria, Egypt. It was expected to reach the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean on Monday, and then continue on its previous schedule to Singapore, company officials said. The 10,000-ton cruise ship, registered in the Bahamas, sustained minor damage, Good said. "They took some fire, but it's safe to sail," he said.

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