When Was the Last Time a Cruise Ship Was Attacked by Pirates?

By Robert Palmer

Attacks on cruise ships by pirates are rare in modern times, but they do still happen. As recently as 2019, a German-flagged cruise ship was attacked by Somali pirates off the coast of Oman. Fortunately, no one was hurt and the pirates were eventually captured.

Piracy has been a problem for centuries, but it has been especially prevalent in the waters near Somalia since the early 2000s. This is mainly due to the lack of a functioning government in Somalia, which has allowed criminals to operate without fear of reprisal. The waters near Somalia have been especially dangerous for commercial vessels and ships carrying valuable cargo, but attacks on cruise ships have been less common.

The attack on the German-flagged cruise ship happened in April 2019 and involved two skiffs with 10 armed men aboard. The ship had left Dubai and was headed to Salalah when it came under attack by Somali pirates. The crew managed to fight off the attackers with fire hoses and distress signals were sent out to alert nearby naval vessels.

The Royal Navy’s HMS Montrose responded quickly and managed to capture all 10 of the attackers after a short pursuit. The crew of the German-flagged cruise ship were unharmed and praised for their bravery during the incident. It was an unusual occurrence for such an attack to be attempted on a cruise ship as most criminal activity associated with Somali pirates is focused on fishing vessels or cargo ships carrying valuable goods.

Since that incident there have been no reports of another attack on a cruise ship by Somali pirates or any other type of pirate group around the world. Cruise ships are typically well-protected with security measures such as cameras and armed guards, making them difficult Targets for criminals.

Conclusion: When it comes to attacks by pirates on cruise ships, it appears that they are becoming increasingly rare in modern times. The last reported incident occurred in April 2019 when a German-flagged cruise ship was attacked by Somali pirates off the coast of Oman but eventually repelled thanks to quick action from nearby naval vessels. Since then there have been no reports of any other attempts at attacking cruise ships by any type of pirate group around the world.