Setting sail on a world cruise is an exciting adventure. Especially when it’s aboard a brand-new ship like the Queen Anne. The Cunard Line has a long history of world cruises, with legendary ships like RMS Carinthia, RMS Caronia, RMS Queen Elizabeth 2, and others having previously sailed the globe.
As Cunard noted in a January 10, 2025 press release:
The 3,000-guest ship will make her first American landfall in New York on 17 January, a city that has an enduring connection to Cunard and has welcomed Cunarders and their guests longer than any other destination.
Queen Anne becomes the 14th ship in Cunard’s illustrious history to undertake a full world voyage. Notably, Queen Anne will also be the largest Cunarder to achieve a full circumnavigation of the globe.
Over 107 nights, Queen Anne will call at 30 different ports across 18 countries. Highlights of the voyage include iconic calls to Miami, San Francisco, the Panama Canal, Honolulu, Auckland, Sydney, Hong Kong and more. Guests will also cross the International Date Line on 12 February, experiencing the rare phenomenon of ‘jumping through time’.
It’s an itinerary full of fun and exciting adventures! But passengers probably weren’t expecting a piracy warning.
On March 14, 2025, Captain Inger Klein Thorhauge addressed Queen Anne’s passengers as they sailed through the Sulu-Celebes Sea, a highly trafficked shipping area southwest of the Philippines. About 100,000 vessels sail through the area annually, and it’s become a hotbed of pirate activity in recent years.
Captain Thorhauge told passengers that the ship would be operating at a “heightened level of security alertness.” Her announcement included:
The external promenade deck will be closed on both sides from 9pm to 5am on the night of the 14th and 15th of March and no guests will be allowed access during these times for the duration the transit. During the hour of darkness only essential open deck lights will be on to reduce the ships external lighting. We also request that you turn off your stateroom lights when not needed, and close the curtains of your stateroom window or balcony.
Captain Thorhauge reiterated that there “was no specific threat” to the ship, but that passenger and crew safety and security was her highest priority.
The Queen Anne passed through the area without incident. But news of the safety precautions has unsurprisingly made the news. People are asking if cruisers should be afraid of these modern-day pirates.
Let’s explore that a little bit.
Preparing for Pirate Attacks
This isn’t the first time a cruise ship has prepared for a pirate attack. In 2017, media specialist and blogger Carolyn Jasinski wrote about how Princess Cruises’ Sea Princess made similar preparations while passing through the Gulf of Aden:
When 1900 passengers set sail from Sydney on a world cruise, they had no idea for 10 of their 104 days at sea, there would be a dusk-til-dawn ban on any fun on deck.
No deck parties, no movies under the stars, no late-night outdoor bar hopping or pool dipping.
No lights, no party atmosphere, no lapping up tropical breezes on their balconies.
All around the ship, as the sun set, all curtains were drawn and all shutters closed.
Bright lights, which normally signal the presence of the Sea Princess on the ocean, were dimmed or turned off altogether.
She was a ghost ship.
Captain Gennaro Arma later addressed the Sea Princess’ passengers and apologized for alarming them. However, he noted that the threat of pirate attack was real and that precautions needed to be taken. Passengers were only too happy to help the crew identify suspicious-looking vessels.
Cruise ships can have an arsenal of non-lethal deterrents available to them in case of pirate attack.
Water cannons are probably the most ubiquitous tool that ships use. High-pressure streams can knock attackers into the sea, fill a vessel with water, or even capsize small boats. These water cannons are remotely controlled from the ship’s bridge, which minimizes crew exposure to danger.
Another deterrent is the long-range acoustic device (LRAD). These sonic weapons emit a high-pitched sound that can cause headaches, nausea, and hearing impairment to those who hear it. LRADs can produce sounds of up to 160 decibels (dB), enough to cause potential hearing damage. It’s been proven to be highly effective.
Some ships also have electric fences that they can deploy, which resemble barbed wire strung along the upper decks. These are easily folded up and stowed away when not in use.
Above all else, though, cruise ships are generally much faster than pirate vessels. They can usually outrun attacking pirate vessels with ease. In addition, with thousands of passengers and crew aboard, it’s more difficult for pirate boats to hijack a cruise ship compared to a cargo ship with only 20-30 crew members aboard.
Pirate Attacks on Cruise Ships
Pirate attacks on cruise ships have happened, but aren’t common. More famous are incidents involving cargo ships like the Maersk Alabama and the Abdullah. Cargo ships seem to be at a much higher risk of attack. But the threat to cruise ships is still a very real one.
On April 25, 2009, pirates attacked the MSC Melody off the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean. A speedboat with six armed men appeared off the ship’s stern and attempted to board. Passengers threw deck chairs and tables onto them before the crew deployed water cannons. When this failed, ship security officers opened fire with pistols. This deterred the pirates, who withdrew. But they fired their AK-47s at the MSC Melody as they retreated. Bullets riddled the ship’s side and shattered windows, but there was no serious damage.
Captain Ciro Pinto, master of MSC Melody, later said, “It felt as if we were at war.” The Spanish frigate Numancia captured the pirates two days later.
Arno Esterhuizen.
Months later, on December 2, 2009, the MV Athena (formerly the Swedish liner Stockholm) was reportedly attacked in the Gulf of Aden. Between 24 and 29 vessels swarmed around the cruise ship, causing the crew to deploy water cannons. The pirates withdrew and the Athena continued her voyage without incident. There were no injuries or damage reported.
On November 5, 2005, two pirate boats attacked the Seabourn Spirit off the coast of Somalia. Pirates fired machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) at the ship. The Seabourn Spirit’s crew drove the attackers away using an LRAD. No passengers were injured, but Master-at-Arms Som Bahadur Gurung was wounded by shrapnel during the attack.
The pirate attacks on MSC Melody, Athena, and Seabourn Spirit were undeniably dramatic. Thankfully, however, pirate attacks on cruise ships are pretty rare. But ships and their crews are ready just in case.
Constant Vigilance
The good news is that piracy is on the decline worldwide. The International Maritime Bureau (IMB), a specialized division of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), reported 116 incidents against ships of all kinds in 2024 compared to 120 in 2023 and 115 in 2022. However, there was also an increase in the number of crew taken hostage: 126 crew were taken hostage or kidnapped in 2024 versus 73 in 2023 and 41 in 2022. Pirates’ use of weapons was also on the rise.
ICC Secretary General John W.H. Denton AO noted:
While we welcome the reduction of reported incidents, the ongoing threats to crew safety remain a significant concern. Safeguarding routes and ensuring the security of seafarers, who are essential to maintaining global commerce, is vital. Every effort must be made to protect lives at sea while ensuring the seamless flow of goods through international supply chains. This requires a collaborative effort, with continued regional and international naval presence being crucial to this endeavour.
It’s worth noting that no cruise ships were attacked between 2020 and 2024, according to the IMB. This is significant and should help put cruisers’ minds at ease.
But cruise ship crews remain vigilant all the same: there’s no room for complacency. The piracy warning aboard Queen Anne was perhaps alarming to some passengers, but it would’ve been irresponsible for Captain Thorhauge to not issue the warning and risk an incident. Definitely better safe than sorry.
You can request a copy of the IMB’s 2024 Piracy and Armed Robbery Against Ships report here.
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