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Anatomy Of A Cruise Ship Attack

On Sunday, the luxury cruise ship Nautica got closer to Somali pirates than any ocean liner since the Seabourn Spirit came under grenade attack in 2005. Though bandits fired eight shots at the Nautica, she managed to outrun her attackers, escaping any damage or injuries to the 684 passengers and 386 crew aboard.

How'd it go down? After spotting two small boats on an intercept course, the Nautica accelerated beyond its normal top speed of 20 knots (23 mph) and prepped its defensive long range acoustic device, a gizmo that channels a shrill sound loud enough to rupture eardrums and cause temporary vision loss. As one of the pirate skiffs closed to within 300 yards, a cruise line spokesman told the LA Times, eight shots were fired in the direction of the Nautica. The attackers broke off the assault after all the shots missed.

The next port of call for the Nautica is Salalah, Oman. The ship is on a 32-day voyage from Italy to Singapore, and it continues on to Muscat, which doesn't front the Gulf of Aden, on December 3. Until it gets there, you can help keep watch for further pirate attacks via the Nautica's on-board webcam.

Related Stories:
· Pirates Fire at Cruise Ship Near Somalia [LAT]
· Somali Pirates Strike Again Near Nascent Tourist Hotspot [Jaunted]

[The Nautica in Kobe, Japan: Wikimedia]