MSC Cruises confirms that on Saturday, April 25, 2009, at around 7:35pm in the evening, there was an attempted attack on the MSC Melody cruise ship in waters near the Seychelles Islands. The ship’s expertly trained staff immediately initiated avoidance procedures which resulted in none of the attackers being able to board the ship. No injuries were sustained by any of the approximately 1,000 passengers or 500 crew members onboard.

The MSC Melody was sailing 180 nautical miles from Port Victoria in the Seychelles when Somali pirates approached the ship in a small speedboat, firing automatic weapons. MSC Cruises’ security officers fired back as the speedboat approached and the pirates quickly retreated. MSC Cruises immediately informed the Italian government foreign office (La Farnesina), the Maritime Security Centre in London and the Coordination Centre for Security in Dubai.

The cruise operator has subsequently initiated further proactive measures in the interest of safety and security of its ship. An international security forces military vessel has been sent to escort the MSC Melody as a precaution while the ship continues on to Aqaba, Jordan, and all scheduled routes for MSC Melody have been changed effective immediately, as have the routes of ships sailing on similar itineraries.

MSC Cruises takes the safety of its passengers very seriously, and as this incident showcases, staff aboard the ship are trained to handle any situation. Through the hiring of professional security officers and MSC Cruises’ relationships with government security offices in jurisdictions in which its ships travel, the company consistently takes every step possible to ensure its passengers are in safe hands.