Sea Princess cruise becomes ‘ghost ship’ as passengers told to brace for PIRATE attack

CRUISE news: Sea Princess passengers were shrouded in darkness for 10 days as the ship prepared for a pirate attack, one traveller has claimed.

The cruise ship must be prepared for a pirate attack

Caroline Jasinski

The Princess Cruises ship was making its round-the-world journey from Sydney when the holiday took a dark turn. 

Australian woman Caroline Jasinski, who was on board as a speaker, revealed what happened when the 1900-passenger vessel passed through dangerous waters. 

For 10 of the 104 days on the itinerary, the Sea Princess became a “ghost ship”, according to Caroline. 

The media specialist told “Captain Gennaro Arma addressed the ship. He apologised for alarming passengers. However, the threat, he said, was real and the ship must be prepared for a pirate attack.”


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Cruise news: Sea Princess passengers were told to brace for pirates


The ship had sailed from Sydney to Dubai with a stopover in Melbourne and Colombo, Sri Lanka. 

It then hit waters that carry a very real pirate risk, the Indian Ocean, the Arabian Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the Suez Canal. 

One of the worst areas for piracy is off the coast of Somalia, where gunmen storm ships using ladders. 

Caroline said: “If captured, cargo and crew are taken back to Somalia waters and are often held to ransom. Torture of crew is common.”

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Cruise news: The Sea Princess ship was on a round-the-world itinerary from Sydney

“Generally ships are kept for four to six months, but one ship was kept for 12 months.”

The traveller explained what life was like on board during those tense 10 days. 

Lights were turned off from dusk until dawn, with no deck parties or late night outdoor bars allowed. 

Curtains were drawn and shutters were closed throughout the ship as passengers prepared for the worst. 

Passengers were sent back to their cabins to be counted, with advice to sit on the floor and hang on to hand rails should the boat have to quickly steer away from pirate boats. 


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Cruise news: Pirates pose a very real threat to vessels off the coast of Somalia

“That put two metal doors between passengers and pirates.” has contacted Princess Cruises for comment. 

Thankfully there were no pirate attacks to report on the itinerary, but pirate attacks pose a very real threat to cruise ships the world over

All ships have emergency plans in place in case the incident should unfold. 

There have been six reported attempts of pirates attacking cruise ships over the past 12 years.