Cruise tourist gives pirate alert

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/wales/north_east/8028811.stm

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A passenger on a cruise ship near the Seychelles was first to alert the crew of an approaching attack by pirates.

David Rowlands from Bangor-on-Dee, Wrexham, was celebrating his 62nd birthday on deck with his wife when he noticed a speedboat following the ship.

"I had read descriptions of recent pirate attacks on other ships, and this looked very similar," he said.

Shots were fired but the crew sailed the ship to safety and it was later escorted by a Spanish warship.

Gianluigi Aponte, owner of MSC Cruises, said he is "very proud" the crew could "promptly tackle the emergency".

'First shots'

The company said MSC Melody was 600 nautical miles from the Somali coast, on the evening of Saturday 25 April, when she was attacked by pirates firing automatic weapons from a small speedboat.

A spokesperson said the ship initiated avoidance procedures and quickly escaped the attack with no injuries to the 1,500 people on board.

Mr Rowlands, who is a retired engineer, speaking through the cruise company, said his wife first noticed "some strange movements in the wake of the ship" when they were on the ship's deck.

The cruise ship received a naval escort to north of Aden, Yemen

He said: "We realised that the disturbance was a small boat travelling at high speed, using the ship's wake as cover."

Mr Rowlands then informed the duty officer, while his wife raised alarm on the deck.

"While I was talking to the officer, we heard the first shots being fired by the pirates," he said.

The officer called the security guards before the crew escorted passengers to their cabins.

Mr Aponte said the Captain, Ciro Pinto, guided the ship "out of danger with a sequence of evasive manoeuvres".

The MSC Melody had continued on its journey and the next day it was met by a Spanish warship which escorted it to north of Aden as a precaution.

Mr Rowlands said: "I feel reassured by the naval escort and additional security measures in place. I think most passengers are reassured and want to get on with their holiday."

"I hope that the cruise industry as a whole can take the security issue forward from here," he added.