What Was the Name of the Cruise Ship Seized by Hijackers in the Mediterranean in 1985?

By Robert Palmer

On November 7, 1985, the cruise ship Achille Lauro was hijacked by Palestine Liberation Front militants in the Mediterranean Sea. The vessel, owned by the Italian shipping company Flotta Lauro Lines, had set sail from Alexandria, Egypt on October 3 and was bound for Port Said when it was taken over. The hijackers demanded the release of 50 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons and $5 million in ransom money.

The incident began shortly after the Achille Lauro left Port Said. At around 5:30 PM local time, four heavily armed gunmen stormed into the ship’s lounge and announced that they had taken control of the vessel.

They then forced all 360 passengers and crew members to leave their cabins and gather in the lounge. The hijackers then issued demands for the release of prisoners and money before threatening to blow up the ship if their demands were not met.

The situation quickly escalated as news of the hijacking spread and countries from around the world began to take action. The United States deployed several navy vessels to monitor the situation from nearby waters while Italy sent a special forces team to try and negotiate with the hijackers. After several days of tense negotiations, Italian Prime Minister Bettino Craxi finally agreed to meet some of their demands in exchange for a peaceful resolution.

After several days of negotiations, an agreement was reached between Italy and the hijackers on November 13th. As part of this agreement, 15 Palestinian prisoners were released from Israeli prisons and flown out of Israel aboard an Egyptian plane. In return, all hostages on board Achille Lauro were released unharmed.

Conclusion:

The cruise ship that was seized by hijackers in 1985 was called Achille Lauro. It belonged to Flotta Lauro Lines which sailed from Alexandria, Egypt for Port Said when it was taken over by four heavily armed militants who demanded money and prisoners be released in exchange for a peaceful resolution. After a tense negotiation period between Italy and Israel, 15 Palestinian prisoners were released in exchange for all hostages being released unharmed.