Did Venezuela Attack a Cruise Ship?

By Michael Ferguson

Venezuela has been in the news lately for alleged military aggression, but did Venezuela attack a cruise ship? This question has been asked by many people, especially after reports came out that the country had fired on a cruise liner in international waters.

The incident occurred on May 18th, 2019 when the Carnival Horizon was sailing from St. Maarten to Curacao. Reports indicated that the Venezuelan Navy fired shots at the ship and attempted to board it.

According to witnesses on board, the ship’s captain ordered them to remain below deck while he contacted authorities. The Venezuelan Navy then withdrew after an hour without boarding the vessel.

Immediately following the incident, media reports indicated that Venezuela had attacked a cruise ship and even accused them of piracy. However, upon further investigation it was discovered that this was not true.

The Venezuelan Navy had actually fired warning shots at an oil tanker they believed was smuggling fuel into their waters. The Carnival Horizon happened to be in the vicinity of this tanker and were caught in the crossfire of these warning shots.

The Venezuelan Government has since denied any intention to attack a cruise ship and stated that their navy was exercising their right to protect their borders from illegal activities such as drug smuggling and fuel trafficking. They also said that they were unaware of any civilian vessels in the vicinity when they fired warning shots at the tanker and apologized for any inconvenience caused to passengers on board the Carnival Horizon.

Despite these explanations from Venezuela, many people still remain skeptical about what really happened during this incident and believe that Venezuela may have intended to Target a cruise ship instead of an oil tanker as they claim. It is likely that we will never know exactly what happened during this incident but one thing is certain – it has once again brought attention to Venezuela’s tense relations with its neighbours and raised questions about its military policy in international waters.

Conclusion

In conclusion, while there is still some debate over whether or not Venezuela intentionally attacked a cruise ship during this incident, it appears that their navy was actually Targeting an oil tanker they thought was smuggling fuel into their waters instead. Nonetheless, this incident has brought attention to Venezuela’s tense relations with its neighbours and raised questions about its military policy in international waters.