Friday, May 11, 2012

DAY 15 RED SEA

Leaving Safaga, we continued south down the Red Sea. As we exit the Red Sea tomorrow and enter the Gulf of Aden, we will be passing Somalia on one side and Yemen on the other, which is pirate territory. We’ve been given information about the precautions the ship is taking. First of all, cruise ships can go a lot faster than the cargo ships and fishing vessels that pirates usually target. Secondly, our ship is so big that it is physically difficult to board. Thirdly, we have a lot more security personnel on board than cargo ships and fishing vessels. This means that the likelihood of our having any problems is very, very low.
However, the ship has contingency plans, so everyone aboard participated in a Operation Safe Haven drill. If we hear an all-ship announcement saying “Operation Safe Haven,” that is the code to go to the inside portions of the ship. People in inside cabins must stay in their cabins, but people in outside cabins, like us, must move into the corridors or even further into the central portion of the ship. Everyone must leave the outside decks.
In addition, a couple of military-looking boats came alongside the ship (but the flag they were flying was not for any specific country so I’m not sure where they come from) and loaded some extra security personnel and “security equipment” on board. In the afternoon, the captain announced that the security personnel would be testing “the weapon” off the stern of the ship, and by golly, at 3:00 PM we started hearing some very big bangs from within our cabin. Not sure what “the weapon” actually is though -- sounded like some big guns.
For the next 3 evenings, the ship is running dark as an added security measure, and crew will be stationed on all the outside decks with night-vision goggles. By running dark, I mean that the curtains in all outside cabins must remain closed, all outside deck lights are turned off, and all outside windows (doors to outside decks, dining rooms, etc) are covered. Lights in dining rooms are dimmed (very romantic). What is amusing to us is that this is a very big ship, 14 stories tall, painted white. We have a lovely moon that shines brightly. How do they think we can’t be noticed?
Although my sister and I both think the probability of a problem is next to zero, nevertheless we have decided that a contingency plan of our own is a good idea. We packed a tote bag with our money, credit cards, pair of shoes, and something to wear. That way, we can just grab the one bag and go. I think that all these precautions should ensure a problem-free trip.

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