MSC Cruises News
Chief Security Officer
MSC Cruises Has Just Posted the Following:
MSC Cruises confirms that despite taking the necessary precautions to evade piracy, MSC Melody was attacked by pirates near the Seychelles Islands on the evening of Saturday 25 April 2009 at 1935 UTC.
After calling at Port Victoria - which is classed as a safe zone to sail in, by the Maritime Security Center HOA - MSC Melody took a route that was 80 degrees east and 600 nautical miles from the Somali coast, when she was attacked.
The pirates approached the ship in a small speedboat firing automatic weapons at 7:35 pm GMT, while the ship was sailing 180 nautical miles from Port Victoria in the Seychelles.
The ship initiated avoidance procedures and quickly escaped the attack with no injuries to any of the approximately 1,000 passengers and 500 crew members onboard.
A Spanish warship from the international security forces in the region will escort the Melody to North of Aden as a precaution, and the ship is continuing its course to Aqaba, Jordan, on its scheduled itinerary.
MSC Cruises immediately informed the Italian government foreign office (La Farnesina), the Maritime Security Center in London and the Coordination Center for Security in Dubai.
Mr. Gianluigi Aponte, owner of MSC Cruises, declared: "We are very proud that our crew proved to be able to promptly tackle the emergency. At the moment of the attack, the ship was 600 nautical miles from Somali coast, in an area that is not considered dangerous, and 180 nautical miles from Seychelles. All security measures adopted worked perfectly. Captain Ciro Pinto," Mr. Aponte continued, "followed all security protocols provided, guiding the ship out of danger with a sequence of evasive manoeuvres and then taking a course of 080°, lights turned off. Even in such a critical situation," Mr. Aponte pointed out, "land and onboard staff showed great professionalism and extreme clarity, allowing the ship to continue on its itinerary without additional problems and consequences for passengers and the crew."
Click here to view the article.
MSC Cruises confirms that despite taking the necessary precautions to evade piracy, MSC Melody was attacked by pirates near the Seychelles Islands on the evening of Saturday 25 April 2009 at 1935 UTC.
After calling at Port Victoria - which is classed as a safe zone to sail in, by the Maritime Security Center HOA - MSC Melody took a route that was 80 degrees east and 600 nautical miles from the Somali coast, when she was attacked.
The pirates approached the ship in a small speedboat firing automatic weapons at 7:35 pm GMT, while the ship was sailing 180 nautical miles from Port Victoria in the Seychelles.
The ship initiated avoidance procedures and quickly escaped the attack with no injuries to any of the approximately 1,000 passengers and 500 crew members onboard.
A Spanish warship from the international security forces in the region will escort the Melody to North of Aden as a precaution, and the ship is continuing its course to Aqaba, Jordan, on its scheduled itinerary.
MSC Cruises immediately informed the Italian government foreign office (La Farnesina), the Maritime Security Center in London and the Coordination Center for Security in Dubai.
Mr. Gianluigi Aponte, owner of MSC Cruises, declared: "We are very proud that our crew proved to be able to promptly tackle the emergency. At the moment of the attack, the ship was 600 nautical miles from Somali coast, in an area that is not considered dangerous, and 180 nautical miles from Seychelles. All security measures adopted worked perfectly. Captain Ciro Pinto," Mr. Aponte continued, "followed all security protocols provided, guiding the ship out of danger with a sequence of evasive manoeuvres and then taking a course of 080°, lights turned off. Even in such a critical situation," Mr. Aponte pointed out, "land and onboard staff showed great professionalism and extreme clarity, allowing the ship to continue on its itinerary without additional problems and consequences for passengers and the crew."
Click here to view the article.
