Cruise passengers told to turn off bedroom lights and stay alert as they pass through waters known for piracy
Passengers on board the Cunard luxury cruise liner, Queen Anne, were warned to stay vigilant while the 113,000-ton vessel passed through waters known for piracy.
A TikTok video from user cruisegypsyuk@lillydapink, which has racked up more than eight million views, showed an announcement to passengers as they traveled from Darwin, Australia, to Manila in the Phillippines through the Sulu-Celebes Sea.
'This area is known for piracy threats,' they were told via a loudspeaker in their rooms.
As a result, the cruise would be 'operating at a heightened level of security alertness during this period,' which included the external promenade deck being closed overnight and 'deck lights will be on to reduce the ship's external lighting.'
Passengers were also asked to turn off their stateroom lights and keep their curtains drawn.
'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,' the announcement continued.
'As part of standard maritime procedures, our Captains may make precautionary announcements when sailing through certain regions,' a representative for Cunard told Business Insider. 'There was no specific threat to the ship or its guests, and our onboard experience remained uninterrupted.'
In a follow-up post, the TikTok user praised the Queen Anne's onboard security, writing: 'So all the blinds were shut, and the lights were down to the minimum last night. The security did an amazing job keeping watch over the ship last night. Well done guys.'
In another video, she showed off the cruise ship's sonic cannon. Many cruise ships are fitted with a Long-Range Acoustic Device, which emits high-pitched, targeted noise that repels attackers.
The Sulu-Celebes Sea has previously been a hotspot for kidnapping-for-ransom incidents, particularly involving groups such as Abu Sayyaf — a violent Islamic separatist group operating in the southern Philippines.
Since March 2016, the Information Sharing Centre of the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia has reported a total of 86 abductions.
The last significant pirate attacks on cruise ships occurred in 2005 and 2009, both of which were successfully able to escape unharmed.
The Queen Anne is currently on its maiden world voyage. The 111-night trip began in Hamburg, Germany, on January 7 and has made stops in England, New York, Hawaii, Mexico, New Zealand, Australia
The ship will return to Hamburg on April 29, after stopping in Vietnam, South Africa, Singapore and Malaysia.
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