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Teh One Who Knocks
08-10-2017, 11:18 AM
FOX News


https://i.imgur.com/LbKi3o5.jpg

1,900 passengers aboard a 104 day cruise around the world got an unsettling surprise after they departed from Sydney, Australia toward Dubai.

For ten days, the passengers had to endure a mandatory dusk-to-dawn blackout for fear of pirate attacks. “No deck parties, no movies under the stars, no late-night outdoor bar hopping or pool dipping” were just some of the bans included in the blackout ordered by Captain Gennaro Arma, recalls Carolyn Jasinski, a passenger on the ship. The ship essentially become a ghost – all curtains were drawn, all lights were dimmed or turned off.

Piracy is still a problem on the high seas, particularly in the Indian Ocean, the Arabian Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the Suez Canal. Captain Gennaro Arma wanted to remind his crew and his passengers that the threat of pirates “was real and the ship must be prepared for a pirate attack.”

Jasinski says that in addition to the blackout, there were obligatory pirate drills to prepare the crew and passengers in case an actual attack happened.

“[The passengers] were advised to sit on the floor and to hang on to hand rails in case the ship had to maneuver away from pirate ships. In the case of a real threat, those passengers in outside cabins were told to close and lock their balcony doors, then lock their entrance door to their cabin and take shelter in the corridors,” she says in her essay detailing the experience.

The ship was fully equipped with pirate-alluding tools – fire hoses at the ready, officers on watch 24/7, and a sonic boom that could knock pirates off their ladders. In addition, Jasinski says the captain was confident that the ship would be able to outrun the pirates.

For those ten days, tensions were rightfully high, but according to Jasinksi, “there was a weird kind of excitement. Once aware of and alerted to the prospect of pirates, we watched vessels more carefully.”

Luckily, the ship and its crew never faced any real danger. A spokesperson for the operator of the cruise spoke to The Telegraph about the precautionary actions taken:

“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.”

PorkChopSandwiches
08-10-2017, 03:34 PM
:shock:

Teh One Who Knocks
08-10-2017, 04:10 PM
It sounds like those old WW2 movies where the submarines are running dead silent so that the sub hunting ships can't find them :lol:

Sounds like a great vacation :tup:

Godfather
08-10-2017, 07:29 PM
Big company like Princess would probably have a PR and legal nightmare doing it, but I often think that a couple well trained ex-military shooters with a .50 BMG and NVG's could stave off almost any pirate threat with a shot to the engine block. Let those passengers get what they paid for.

Hal-9000
08-10-2017, 08:44 PM
It sounds like those old WW2 movies where the submarines are running dead silent so that the sub hunting ships can't find them :lol:

Sounds like a great vacation :tup:

I could never sleep after hearing the lights out instructions :lol:


Kinda neat to see they have anti-pirate measures. Let me operate the sonic boom that knocks pirates off ladders!

Godfather
08-10-2017, 11:22 PM
My cousin was a cruise ship first officer for a while. Said usually their only plan was to try and outrun the ships, use their fire fighting cannons, and to give the crazy South American guys down from maintenance some butcher knives if worst came to worst :rofl:

KevinD
08-10-2017, 11:40 PM
I'll man the bmg....lol

Godfather
08-11-2017, 03:30 AM
I'll man the bmg....lol

I'm a quick learner, take me with you :lol:

RBP
08-11-2017, 03:45 AM
104 day cruise?

Godfather
08-11-2017, 06:23 AM
Old people

RBP
08-11-2017, 01:12 PM
Old people

what did you call me?!? :x

Hal-9000
08-11-2017, 07:25 PM
My cousin was a cruise ship first officer for a while. Said usually their only plan was to try and outrun the ships, use their fire fighting cannons, and to give the crazy South American guys down from maintenance some butcher knives if worst came to worst :rofl:

My sister's old roommate/ friend worked at her casino for a few years then got a job on cruise ships managing 'entertainment' (gambling). He went south on the Atlantic as well as south on the Pacific ocean and then ended up with a sweet gig in the Mediterranean Sea. He sent us an email of his travels during three days around New Years. That guy hit more ports and did more things in those three days, than most people do in their lives.