Royal Caribbean Cruises is set to continue sailing through the Gulf of Aden despite the recent surge in pirate attacks in the region.
The Legend of the Seas sailed through the Gulf of Aden two weeks ago.
Royal Caribbean Cruises is set to continue sailing through the Gulf of Aden despite the recent surge in pirate attacks in the region.
Carlos Pedercini, Master of the Legend of the Seas, which transited the Gulf of Aden just a fortnight ago said that the company constantly reviewed the security situation and as long as it was satisfied it was secure there would not be any changes.
?We actually came from the Gulf of Aden and didn"t have any problems,? Capt Pedercini told reporters onboard the vessel in Singapore.
The Legend of the Seas sailed through the Gulf of Aden two weeks ago as part of a 27 day cruise repositioning the vessel from Italy to Singapore.
He said that with the ability to cruise at high speed and with security measures in place the chances of attack were kept to a minimum. The cruise ship took 21 hours to transit the Gulf of Aden, sailing full steam at 23 knots.
Most ships that can make high speed are ok
Somali pirates operating in the region had generally targeted slower moving vessels with a low freeboard, however in recent times grown more adventurous attacking almost any type of ship.
A week ago pirates attempted to attack the Oceania Cruises vessel Nautica while transiting the area.
Classic International Cruises Australia"s Athena was reported to have been surrounded by as many as 52 pirate boats in the Gulf of Aden in an attempted boarding on December 2, although the owners have tried to play down the incident as actually being fishing vessels that were ?very friendly?.
The Legend of the Seas is scheduled to sail back through the Gulf of Aden in March next year once it has completed a series of regional cruises in Asia.
Capt Pedercini said that as the situation is right now they should be sailing through the Gulf of Aden. He praised international efforts to bring the piracy problem off Somalia under control.
?We are very glad to see the international maritime authorities taking this seriously.?
RCCL"s Legend of the Seas did make some changes to its itinerary due to security concerns though, dropping a plan call at Mumbai given the recent terrorist attacks in the India city and instead stayed an extra night in Dubai.
?We are continuously monitoring the security situation,? said Rama Rebbapragaba, RCCL regional vice president for Asia. The company is also monitoring the situation in Bangkok one its destinations for cruises in February and March next year.
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