A helicopter dispached from a Royal Navy warship helped to foil a potential pirate attack on Seabourn Spirit in the Arabian Sea. The 5,200 ton frigate HMS Campbeltown sent a Lynx helicopter capable of firing air to surface missiles, torpedoes and which is fitted with a machine gun 120 miles away on the coast of Oman to assist Seabourn Spirit after it had called for help. The ship’s master had raised the alarm after small skiffs had started to close in. The call was picked up by Royal Navy command in Bahrain. The skiffs had disappeared by the time the helicopter that can make 180 knots reached the ship, media reports say. Seabourn Spirit is one of three virtually identical 10,000 gross ton ships operated by Carnival Corp & PLC’s luxury brand Seabourn Cruise Line.

November 26, 2007

Seabourn Spirit saved from another brush with pirates

Just two years after outrunning pirates off Somalia, the cruise liner Seabourn Spirit has been saved from a potential repeat attack.

Royal Navy warship HMS Campbeltown responded to a call for help from Seabourn Spirit taken at the Bahrain headquarters of Royal Navy and coalition operations in the Gulf, as the liner transited for Muscat, Oman.

The cruise ship's crew had grown increasingly concerned about small skiffs believed to be pirates closing on their position.

Over 120 nautical miles away Campbeltown's maritime attack Lynx helicopter was dispatched to the scene, armed with its machine gun to reassure the cruise liner, and if necessary intercept the pirates.

By the time the helicopter reached the liner the skiffs had disappeared.

The helicopter's presence greatly reassured the passengers on board and the Royal Navy has been officially thanked for its assistance by the ship's captain, himself ex-Royal Navy.

Navy News Service notes that Campbeltown's actions have reassured vessels transiting through the Combined Task Force 150 Joint Operating Area that the coalition warships are effective at supporting requests for help in any direction.

Campbeltown Commanding Officer, Cmdr. Gordon Abernethy, Royal Navy, said, "It is extremely rewarding to be of assistance and know that our presence reassures law-abiding mariners going about their normal business."

Campbeltown is currently one month into a seven-and-a-half month deployment east of the Suez Canal. Up to and including Christmas, the ship is operating in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

Lets hope the 1961 built, Portuguese owned, classic cruise ship ' mv Funchal ' has no problems with pirates as she is now enroute from Safaga, which she was scheduled to call at on the 26th November, through the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea to Male in the Maldive Islands, where she is due to arrive on the 5th December.

She then continues her voyage to Fremantle in West Australia via Phuket in Thailand, Langkawi and Port Klang in Malaysia, Singapore and is scheduled to arrive in Fremantle on the 20th December.

Her cruising speed is given in the brochures as 16 knots but leaving Pireaus, at the start of this trip, she was cruising at 16.7 knots according to the local AIS reports.

Two years ago my friends were on the ship when it was attacked and when I told them it happened again, they couldn't believe it. They will never forget that trip.

[ 11-27-2007: Message edited by: sympatico ]

[ 11-28-2007: Message edited by: Ernst ]

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Originally posted by PamM:
This may or may not have been pirates, just being on the lookout for anything untoward. They don't even tell us where the ship was, or when this occurred. In transit to Muscat means she was only popping round from Dubai.

Pam

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Have sailed three times on Seabourn Spirit which is a lovely ship. Once from Dubai along coast of Oman with one stop in Khasab, then two days cruising the Gulf of Oman, stopping then in Salalah before cruising down the the Gulf of Aden and heading into the Red Sea. Unfortunately we bypassed Muscat which I would have liked to see.

quote:

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Originally posted by PamM:
This may or may not have been pirates..

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You will just have to go back CruisingOAP, Muscat is a wonderful place to visit. Rightly or wrongly I have always felt that 'attack' on Seabourn Spirit was done by pirates who did not have a clue what she actually was. They saw a vessel on their radar and headed over expecting a small cargo ship ripe for easy pickings, only to get far more than they bargained for. Maybe they learned a lesson and they were pirates on the 2nd attempt, who on approach saw that she was a small cruise ship and skiddadled. We won't ever find out, just thankful there was no incident.

I agree "We won't ever find out, just thankful there was no incident".