Pirates, Ya Gotta Give Them Credit For Trying

www.cruiseserver.net/.../ships/oc_nautica.asp

The story is, off the coast of Yemen, in an area patrolled by international anti-piracy task forces a small luxury cruise ship, the Oceania Nautica outran pirates.

Full story available at: http://news.aol.com/article/lxury-cruise-ship-outruns-pirates/264468?icid=200100397x1214358139x1200942764

www.eaglespeak.us/2008_06_01_archive.html

Soap Box Ravings says that even though the article points out the event took place off the coast of Yemen, the coast of Somalia is roughly 300 kilometers off the coast of Yemen. The ship was enroute from Rome to Singapore so it obviously used the Suez canal and the Red Sea to enter the pirate infested waters.

The pirates appeared in two small boats but the cruise ship was able to outrun them. Rifles were fired at the cruise ship but no one was injured. The pirates were able to close within 300 yards which is the length of three football fields. At 300 yards, the ship was within range of the rocket propelled grenades (RPGs) known to be used by the pirates. If the pirates had used heavy machine guns they would have caused a lot of damage to the cruise ship.

Soap Box Ravings is reminded of the old west where travelers were often attacked. Many of those who relied on the cavalry to save them did not do as well as though who were prepared to defend themselves.

Soap Box Ravings believes that each person is primarily responsible for their own protection. Therefore, you want to be extremely careful when you put the responsibility for your personal safety in another person's hands.

Soap Box Ravings wonders what the 600 plus passengers were told prior to departing on their cruise. Particularly how the unarmed cruise ship was going to protect them from pirates. A few RPGs landing on the decks and hull of that cruise ship would provide those cruisers with a lot of excitement.

Soap Box Ravings particular loved the statement from Oceania spokesman Tim Rubacky who emphasized the ship was off of Yemen, not Somalia. What an idiot he would seem to be, even a landlubber can see by the above chart that Somalia is also off the coast of Yemen. The same spokesman also said the company was not planning on using another route. IMHO, any other route would be cost prohibitive therefore the company would seem to be trading passenger safety for profit.

At 12 knots, which was transit speed for a WWII diesel submarine you can cover 300 kilometers which is (plus or minus) 162 nautical miles in 13 1/2 hours. If pirates tie their small boats to a diesel fishing boat, they can stay at sea for extended lengths of time and cover a huge area.