‘Prepare for attack’: cruise passengers sent into lockdown

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Passengers on board a luxury cruise have been given quite the fright after their captain put the ship into lockdown and announced they were at risk of being attacked by pirates. 

The 1,900 passengers aboard the Sea Princess, who had paid more than £30,000 for a 104-day world cruise departing from Sydney, were made to go without entertainment and sent to their rooms to draw the blinds and stay quiet. 

Carolyne Jasinski, a freelance writer, was on board the ship and wrote about her experience of the 10-day blackout as the ship travelled across the Indian Ocean, the Arabian Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the Suez Canal. 

“No deck parties, no movies under the stars, no late-night outdoor bar hopping or pool dipping,” she wrote for news.com.au. 

“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.”

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She said the captain told them the ship “must be prepared for a pirate attack” and that the threat of pirates in that region was very real. 

The entire ship was subjected to a “pirate attack drill” and were told to “sit on the floor and to hang on to hand rails in case the ship had to manoeuvre away from pirate ships.”

Jasinski said the ship played documentaries about pirate attacks on the cabin televisions so that passengers could educate themselves on the risks involved. 

While some travellers were skeptical of the risk and ignored the rules of the drill run, Jasinski says the captain quickly put them in their place and scolded them over the loudspeaker. 

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The incident follows a Somali hijacking in March, the first successful hijacking in five years. 

Pirates ran rampant in the lawless stretch of coast off Somalia between 2008 and 2012, raking in millions in ransom money and wares. 

Princess Cruises told The Daily Telegraph there was no iminent 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.

Travel at 60 contacted Princess Cruises for comment, but had not received a response at the time of publishing.