Cruise Ship Attacked

The six-star Nautica was attacked, by pirates in two boats, as she sailed between Somalia and Yemen on Sunday. Two small skiffs tried to intercept the cruise ship carries 690 passengers and 386 crew, was sailing past several groups of fishing boats.. Captain Jurica Brajcic began evasive manoeuvres and managed to avert the attack. This is only the second time the pirates have attempted to hijack a cruise ship. Three years ago, rocket-propelled grenades were fired at the Seabourn Spirit and two of the ship's officers were injured when it exploded. A spokesman for Oceania Cruises said: "Nautica was immediately brought to flank speed and was able to outrun the two skiffs. "One of the skiffs did manage to close the range to approximately 300 yards and fired eight rifle shots in the direction of the vessel before trailing off." There were no injuries. A Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD) which emits a high-powered beam of sound, which at close range, can shatter a person's eardrums, was readied during the attack. American, British and Australian passengers were on board for a 32-day cruise from Rome to Singapore. The ship's last call was in Sagafa, Egypt. and the ship is due to arrive at Salalah, Oman, on Monday.