Somali pirates attack cruise ship

MSC Cruises has confirmed that there was an attempted attack on the MSC Melody cruise ship at the weekend, in waters near the Seychelles Islands. Thankfully, none of the attackers were able to board the ship and no injuries were sustained by any of the approximately 1,000 passengers or 500 crew members onboard. The vessel was sailing from Port Victoria in the Seychelles when Somali pirates approached the ship in a small speedboat, firing automatic weapons. MSC Cruises’ security officers fired back as the speedboat approached and the pirates quickly retreated.

The cruise operator has subsequently initiated further proactive measures in the interest of safety and security of its ship. An international security forces military vessel has been sent to escort the MSC Melody as a precaution while the ship continues on to Aqaba, Jordan, and all scheduled routes for MSC Melody have been changed effective immediately, as have the routes of ships sailing on similar itineraries.