Cruise Ship Defends Itself From Somali Pirates; Five Other Ships Attacked

They didn't use nonlethal systems like the long range acoustic device, which sends piercingly loud sounds at the attackers. They sent hot lead; as the pirates opened fire on the cruise ship as it was steaming near the Seychelles, an Israeli security team on board returned fire. The Italian cruise line issued a statement saying that the Israelis were hired because they were the best security available.

The ship, the MSC Melody, did take some damage as bullets broke windows and damaged a lifeboat. One crew and one passenger were injured in the encounter. The pirates continued firing on the ship for some 20 minutes after trying to board. The pirates were repelled by both Israeli security and crew manning a fire hose to prevent the pirates from boarding.

This wasn't the only pirate attack over the weekend either:

Separately Sunday, four Yemeni tankers escorted by a Yemeni coast guard boat on their way to Aden were attacked by pirates. Three of the ships escaped and coast guards captured five pirates and wounded two others, said Mohammed Abdul-Rahman, a senior official at the Overseas Shipping and Stevedoring Company. Pirates could only seize one of the tankers, the Qana. The Yemeni Interior Ministry said coast guards were trying to free it.

And the Turkish cruiser Ariva 3, with two British and four Japanese crew aboard, survived a pirate attack near the Yemeni island of Jabal Zuqar, said Ali el-Awlaqi, head of the Yemeni El-Awlaqi Marine company said.

"Pirates opened fire at the cruise ship for 15 minutes then stopped for no reason," he said, adding that the cruiser was heading to Aden, Yemen, to fix a broken engine.

International military forces have battled pirates, with U.S. Navy snipers killing three holding an American captain hostage in one of the highest-profile incidents.

But Saturday's exchange of fire between the Melody and pirates was one of the first reported between pirates and a nonmilitary ship. Civilian shipping and passenger ships have generally avoided arming crewmen or hiring armed security for reasons of safety, liability and compliance with the rules of the different countries where they dock.

Pellegrino said the pistols on board the Melody were available to the commander and security agents. He said they were used as a deterrent, "in an emergency operation."

It was not the first attack on a cruise liner. In November, pirates opened fire on a U.S.-operated ship, the M/S Nautica, which was taking 650 passengers and 400 crew members on a monthlong luxury cruise from Rome to Singapore. The cruise liner was able to outrun the pirates. In early April a tourist yacht was hijacked by Somali pirates near the Seychelles just after having dropped off its cargo of tourists.

The number of pirate attacks has doubled this year, and the payment of ransoms isn't helping matters. It might secure the release of the crews, but it incentivizes the taking of more ships.

This must stop, and fighting the pirates on the seas isn't going to end the piracy. Only taking out the safe havens onshore will. No one appears willing or able to do so. Instead, everyone will talk about having to conduct more patrols, all while the pirates continue their deadly business.