A video of a cruise ship captain cautioning her passengers about the perilous waters they were approaching has become viral, causing a stir online. However, such warnings are not unusual.
Piracy is a global issue, with certain areas known as high-risk zones where travel is generally discouraged. These regions include West Africa’s Gulf of Guinea, the West Indian Ocean’s Gulf of Aden, and Southeast Asia.
Travelers on Cunard’s Queen Anne cruise were scheduled to navigate through the latter, as Southeast Asia is known for having some of the world’s most treacherous waters.
This area includes the infamous Malacca Strait and the Sulu Sea, which was the next destination for those embarking on the 111-night cruise.
Situated in the southwestern region of the Philippines near Malaysia, the Sulu Sea has been a notorious spot for piracy since the 16th century, as reported by The Diplomat.
In 2000, a group known as Abu Sayyaf abducted 21 people from the Sipadan Island dive resort in Malaysia, holding them hostage for ransom. It took several months for their release to be secured.
Even the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs advises Americans against traveling to this region.
“The Sulu Archipelago and Sulu Sea – Level 4: Do Not Travel,” the advisory states.
“Terrorist and armed groups in the Sulu Archipelago and the Sulu Sea have historically engaged in kidnappings for ransom on land and at sea, in addition to bombings and other attacks. These incidents often target foreign nationals, including U.S. citizens, local government entities, and security personnel.
“The U.S. government’s ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in this region is very limited. U.S. government employees under the U.S. Embassy’s (Chief of Mission) security responsibility are required to obtain special authorization to travel to these areas.”
It would seem logical for ships to avoid such risky waters entirely, but this isn’t always the case, as demonstrated by the journey that began in Germany this January.
Addressing the passengers, the captain announced: “This area is known for piracy threats as reported in the world media. Therefore, we will be operating at a heightened level of security alertness during this period.
“The external promenade deck will be closed on both sides from 9pm to 5am overnight, between the night of 14th and 15th of March, and no guests will be allowed access during these times for the duration of the transit during the hour of darkness, only essential open deck lights will be on to reduce the ship’s external lighting.
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“Please take care if you need to transit the upper outside decks, we also request that you turn off your stateroom lights when not needed, and close the curtains of your stateroom window or balcony in the unlikely event of an emergency.”
The captain further instructed: “A broadcast will be made by the bridge with the following instructions, guests are to proceed to their staterooms. Guests with a window or balcony should proceed to the corridor outside their stateroom, ensuring the stateroom door remains closed.
“If you are in an inboard stateroom, please remain inside your stateroom during this time. Guests should not remain on any open decks or near any external windows. Finally, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to emphasize that the safety and security of the ship all guests and crew on board is my highest priority.
“I assure you that measures to prevent any unlikely incident have been well planned, and the likelihood of this happening on a big ship like Queen Anne is absolutely minimal. Ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for your attention.”
A spokesperson for Cunard relayed to Business Insider: “As part of standard maritime procedures, our Captains may make precautionary announcements when sailing through certain regions.
“There was no specific threat to the ship or its guests, and our onboard experience remained uninterrupted.”