Pirates of the Indian

It has been confirmed that the British ship Balmoral was not attacked through any type of gunfire by the Somalian pirates that lurk in the Indian Ocean around the Gulf of Aden. There is no doubt, however, that these pirates do indeed exist.

The pirates of the Indian Ocean have been terrorizing and attacking vessels, mostly merchant ships, in order to demand huge amounts of ransom. In recent years, this illicit activity has been increasing with alarming frequency, since the area is known to be a busy shipping thoroughfare. In fact, over 40 vessels were actually hijacked in 2008, according to reports by the International Maritime Bureau. Often, the main object for the pirates is ships carrying commodities such as crude oil or grain. Making up the crew on the pirate ships are men who have been members of warlord armies who have access to weaponry; men with technological intelligence to operate equipment, and also, men who know the techniques of maneuvering in the waters of the Indian Ocean.

The incident on March 3rd involving the British luxury cruise ship, the Balmoral, was an isolated one in which a cruise ship became embroiled in this dangerous trade. Two weeks into a 104 night world cruise, the Balmoral sailed into the Gulf of Aden. Shortly before 8pm on the 3rd of March, two vessels were recognized as approaching the cruise ship. Acting quickly, the Balmoral’s Master notified the EU of a possible situation and requested passengers to return to their staterooms. To let the oncoming craft know they had been seen, the Balmoral fired flares and honed their searchlights in the direction of the craft. After an hour, the area was declared clear by an EU warship, the alert was halted and the Balmoral soon continued on its scheduled course.

Piracy on the seas is becoming a booming industry, despite the bolstering of the military presence by EU, Nato, China and others. Thankfully, no ill effects were felt by those traveling on the Balmoral after the extremely rare occurrence of a cruise ship encounter with the pirates of the Indian.