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.