Michael Groves
What Really Happened Aboard Seabourn Spirit?
November 5, 2005 Somalian Pirate Attack Exposed
As early as the summer of 2005, ships were warned to stay at least 150 miles off the Somalia coast, and to use extreme caution in the region.
Seabourn Spirit Captain Pedersen had allowed the ship to be less than half the recommended safe distance of 150 miles from the coastline of Somalia, to a mere 71 miles.
Only two days before the attack, on November 3, 2005 the UN World Food Programme issued a public warning saying that two of their ships with food aboard had been commnadeered by pirates.
Above: This map shows all the piracy and armed robbery incidents reported to the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre during 2009. That is a period of less than five months, as of May 20, 2009. If exact coordinates are not provided, estimated positions are shown based on information provided. Is it safe for cruise ships off Somalia today?
They added that the escalating piracy off Somalia "threatens the wellbeing of more than half a million hungry people".
Ships sailing in the region had the information readily available, to avoid the area prior to November 4, 2005, the night Seabourn Spirit began her voyage into Pirate Alley.
Seabourn Spirit officers, Groves alleges ignored the risks of piracy and terrorist attacks, stood down the piracy watch and wrongly told master-at-arms Groves that the ship was 140 miles off the coast.
The mere fact that Carnival Corp had fitted Seabourn Spirit with a Long Range Acoustic Device shows the company was aware of the dangers involved in sailing Pirate Alley. They had no business being there in the first place, with civilians aboard.
In the suit Groves claims that had he known the ship was so close to the coast, he would have warned them to increase the distance from the coastline and to continue a piracy watch.
'Mr. Groves states in his lawsuit that he was wrongfully dismissed by the company in 2006 soon after the attack and where he received numerous injuries in defending the vessel. That the company were negligent and ignored a number of specific international warnings to remain up to 200 nautical miles from the Somalian coast'
It was perhaps largely due to Carnival Corp playing down the Seabourn Spirit pirate attack, that passengers felt safe booking cruises for voyages through pirate alley. The impression the cruising public had after this incident, was avoiding and out-smarting pirates was a breeze. That, is a dangerous misconception.
On Sunday, November 30, 2008 the cruise ship Oceania Nautica captained by Jurica Brajcic with 1076 aboard was attacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia as well. The Nautica was able to increase speed and speed away from the hail of bullets coming at her. Several days later M/V Athena came under attack as well.
I would doubt few if any knew that passengers had taken a hit in their cabin aboard Seabourn Spirit and were likely to have been injured in some manner, if only with the unavoidable smoke inhalation. Few likely saw the photos displayed on the first page of this case, understanding the magnitude of the situation that day.
If the industry is legislated to report crimes that take place aboard cruise ships, what are the odds the most severe injuries and details will ever make it into the media or to the consumer?
Frequently, the passenger is taken to the ship's hospital, misdiagnosed, then if they are lucky, are sent home. The cruise line nor their doctor aboard follow up. What might have been diagnosed as minor cuts and bruises, once home with a competent doctor examining the patient might be determined as more severe internal injuries, life-threatening, even resulting in death.
This allows the cruise line to say the incident was minor, creating smoke and mirrors from the truth reaching potential cruisers who were not there, did not witness the incident and have to take the cruise line's word for a summary of what took place, just like in this case.
It would seem, that behind closed corporate doors, out of the public eye, Carnival Corp completely understands that their passengers are in grave danger, contradiction their public statements, while cruising off the coast of Somalia or trapped in the fish bowl of the Gulf Of Aden.
A passenger from New Jersey who sailed aboard Seabourn Spirit in November 2008 has indicated the ship was armed to the teeth. She says, "The French navy was on board. Fully loaded on our November cruise. Best kept secret of the time."
It is confirmed by another passenger who says, "[50 caliber] gun mounted on stern of Spirit. Captain GA recently confirmed that there were also two guns mounted on bow. French military onboard. French military ship escort."
The escort was only through the Gulf Of Aden. Another passenger says, "The [French] sailors, their guns and 60 bottles of champagne left the Spirit when they reached the open ocean."
In deed, that was quite a secret. I am hoping my visitors from France take note that their tax dollars are going to "secretly" give a military guard aboard a Carnival Corp cruise ship putting profits before passenger safety. Getting an escort is one thing, putting soldiers aboard the ship, is quite another. If there is no real danger to passengers sailing in Pirate Alley, why the troops aboard the Carnival Corp cruise ship through the Gulf Of Aden?
Perhaps it is because some passengers love the excitement of traveling through Pirate Alley. One member at Cruise Critic was saddened because although she kept a vigilant watch, she was unable to get a photograph of pirates attempting to board her ship. Pirates just weren't interested that day. I doubt that Michael Groves would approve of her thirst for the thrill, most likely at the expense of others, like himself.
A final note. It is one thing to see the RPG in action within a war setting, but it would be helpful to see it up against a ship, to really understand the threat involved. In the video you are about to see, the ship most likely has some explosive material aboard, which causes a greater explosion.
Still, the fire fight is real. At the end of the video, it shows the RPG attack at night. This would similar to an attack by pirates from Somalia, who always attack under cover of darkness. Here is a video of an actual rocket-propelled grenade attack against a ship.
