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Safer seas
The attempted attack on the MSC Melody sent a
clear message to the cruise industry about the growing threat of
piracy. Phin Foster talks to the EC’s Dimitrios Theologitis about
how the maritime sector needs to find a long-lasting solution.
The MSC Melody came under attack despite sailing further from the mainland.
Despite their lack of success, last
April’s pirate attack on the MSC
Melody 600 miles off the Somalian
coast was a harbinger of some worrying
developments within the Indian Ocean.
Following an assault on a US cargo ship
the previous week, the Melody was actually
sailing further from the mainland than
usual, adding an extra 400 miles to its route
and even necessitating the cancellation of a
planned stopover in Safaga, Egypt.
“
Despite this, it was only through the
intervention of armed Israeli security
guards stationed on board that the 994
passengers and some 500 crew were able
to escape unharmed. Once the relief had
subsided, MSC and its fellow operators
were forced to face up to some rather
90
uncomfortable truths: pirates had increased
their range of operations, sailing further
afield in their hunt for new targets. They
were unafraid to unleash ultimate force,
“firing wildly,” in the words of the ship’s
commander, Ciro Pinto, while the presence
of over 1,000 people on board seemingly
did little to dissuade their efforts.
MSC decided to cancel all such sailings,
a decision soon followed by Yachts of
Seabourn and Fred Olsen Cruise Lines, but
Ship owners may be concerned about speed
of passage or insurance costs, but trying the
trip alone without any prior coordination with
naval forces operating in the region is a
ridiculous risk to take. Dimitrios Theologitis
ships still scheduled to visit the area in
2010 include the Queen Mary 2, Queen
Elizabeth, Dawn Princess, Seven Seas
Voyager and Costa Cruises’ Europa,
Deliziosa, Luminosa and Romantica.
An increased naval presence in the
region, as well as rising international focus
World Cruise Industry Review | www.worldcruiseindustryreview.com
on the problem, may have displaced pirate
activity, but it has not served to stem the
tide of attacks. The Government of the
Seychelles recently announced the
construction of special courts and a
maximum security prison to combat the
growing menace of Somali pirates, sighted
almost daily at the tail-end of last year.
With international naval forces already
policing a vast area, it also begs another
question: is it necessary for cruise ships to
be there at all?
“That raises a very interesting
philosophical conundrum,” says Dimitrios
Theologitis, head of unit in charge of
Maritime Transport and Ports Policy;
Maritime Security at the European
Commission (EC). “How essential is
entertainment? I would not want to go
down that route too deeply, the necessity of
cruising, it falls well beyond my remit.”
Indeed, it would be one of the few
maritime issues not under his
responsibility. With the EC since 1984, the
Greek native’s main focus is the definition
of a vision for maritime transport over the
next ten years, and the further
development of maritime security.
Growing concerns
Pirates may be operating outside European
waters, but they are becoming an ever
increasing concern among many of his key
stakeholders. These include cruise
operators, as represented by the European
Community Ship Owning Association.
While Theologitis is at pains to
differentiate between areas of “community
interest” and “community competence”, the
EC is not shy in encouraging and sharing
best practices among all members.
“The IMO recently published two
documents concerning ships passing
the Horn of Africa and, in our eyes, their
recommendations must be followed at
all times,” he says. “Failure to do so is
unacceptable.”
A key component of this advice is that
ships announce their impending presence
to the region’s Maritime Security Centre so
that a full risk assessment can be
conducted and advice given as to how and
when the crossing should be completed.
“Ship owners may be concerned about
speed of passage or insurance costs, but
trying the trip alone without any prior
coordination with naval forces operating in
the region is a ridiculous risk to take,”
Theologitis continues.