The Telegraph newspaper in the U.K. has a amazing article today by Richard Snailham about the Discovery cruise ship, operated by Discover the World cruise line, confronting a Somali speedboat as the ship sailed from Mombasa towards the Seychelles Islands. 

The good news is that the pirates decided not to try and board the cruise ship.  Mr. Snailham attributes this happy ending to "rolls of razor wire all over the stern rail (and) bundles of logs to be released to fall on any craft attaching itself to our hull . . ."

The photograph taken of the cruise ship indeed shows the barb wire and a bundle of logs hoisted near the stern – ready to be dropped in such an emergency.  Look at the photo closely and you will notice logs tied below the railings, positioned to drop on any skiffs which dare to approach the cruise ship.   

This may be quite unsightly, but this cruise line understands that a pirate attack in the Indian Ocean is a real threat.  It’s better to install unsightly barb wire than to risk having the passengers and crew taken hostage by pirates with AK-47’s.        

I have written about this issue before in two articles:

Are Cruise Lines Taking Adequate Steps to Protect Passengers from Pirate Attacks?

Cruise Line Liability for Injuries to Passengers and Crew Members Caused by Pirate Attacks

Would you take your family on a cruise to or from Mombasa?

Photo credit:   Richard Snailham (Telegraph)