Are Cruise Ships Armed Against Pirates?

Cruise ships are equipped with various measures to protect against pirate attacks, including ship hardening techniques and onboard surveillance. Long-Range Acoustic Devices (LRAD) are used to disorient and deter potential attackers. There have been no documented pirate attacks on cruise ships in over a decade, but there have been some unusual fringe incidents. A Russian company is offering luxury yacht cruises along the Somali coast, providing passengers with the opportunity to shoot pirates. A terrifying video recently documented the moment weapon-wielding pirates attempted to attack the Seabourn Spirit cruise ship.

Cruise ships are not good targets for pirates, as 50 armed pirates is usually enough to secure the 4-30 crewmen of a cargoship. Some cruise ships and container ships carry weapons for self-defense from pirates, especially if they travel near the coast of the coast. In addition to overt security measures, cruise ships may also employ covert defense tactics to discreetly detect and neutralize pirate threats.

Experts generally advise against armed guards or weapons aboard passenger ships, but cruise lines do not want to tip their hand to terrorists. Contrary to people who want to believe that the ships are armed but the cruise lines don’t want to tip their hand to the terrorists, there is in fact a need for cruise ships to be more vigilant against pirate threats.