“We will be operating at heightened security”: Cunard Cruisers sailing from Australia receive terrifying warning of pirates

• Cruisers sailing on Queen Anne from Darwin to the Philippines received an usual warning on their sailing.
• They were told they were sailing through an area of high piracy, and the ship would operate with increased security measures.
• Watch the announcement to passengers below.

Guests on Cunard’s Queen Anne experienced something that very few on a cruise ship will ever experience, a warning for pirates.

Passengers sailing between Darwin and the Philippines were suddenly told to stay inside, and turn off their balcony lights and close their curtains. 

While this wasn’t due to an imminent and present threat, it was because the Sulu Sea Region in which the ship was sailing through is known for piracy, with various reports of armed pirates attacking ships. However, this has never happened to a cruise ship in this region. 

In fact, the last reported pirate attacks are on the Seabourn Spirit and MSC Melody many years ago, in 2005 and 2009 respectively, highlighting the extreme rarity of these instances.

Nonetheless, passengers onboard must have been surprised to receive guidance from the ship’s captain of how to behave while passing through the waters where pirates are known to lurk. 

While it’s unclear if this warning is simply standard for when sailing through the region or if the ships captain had a reason to be extra careful, no disturbance was made to the sailing and it was able to continue unimpeded. 

This video shows a recording the announcement given to guests, shared by The Ship Life on their Youtube channel, 

The captain said: “This area is known for piracy threats. Therefore we will be operating at heightened level of security alternance during this period. 

“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.”

The announcement goes on to describe the safety drill procedures in the event of an attack. While nothing eventuated, guests definitely would have got a scare hearing the announcement.

How cruise ships protect themselves from pirates

Now, while the prevalence of pirate attacks is incredibly low, that doesn’t mean cruise ships don’t prepare themselves. 

Here Cruise Passenger has a guide on everything cruise ships do to protect guests in the unlikely event of an attack.

Prevention measures range from sonic boom acoustic devices that shoot high-pitched noises towards aggressors, the installation of razor wires around the ship, lethally strong water cannons and plenty more.

Therefore, even if pirates did decide to take on a cruise ship, it likely wouldn’t go very well for them.

Cunard told us: “As part of standard maritime procedures, our Captains may make precautionary announcements when sailing through certain regions. There was no specific threat to the ship or its guests, and our onboard experience remained uninterrupted.”

Despite this, a video from one guest showed water canons positioned on the ship, in case of an attack. Water canons can shoot high-pressure streams of water at speeds of up to 128 km/h, making them effective at preventing any potential ship invasions.