Hijack a ship?

[sail7seas]

I've decided to not read the OP's article because I'm leaving this Sunday on a cruise and I don't want to be worried about what I've read.

 

However, I can't say that I haven't thought about this.

 

Think about all the wine cruiseline's like HAL allow to be brought on.

 

Any terrorist could replace that wine with explosives and nobody would be the wiser.

 

We aren't allowed to carry containers with more than 3oz of liquids onto an airplane that only carries a couple of hundred people, however cruiselines allow hundreds of people to carry on an unrestricted amount of liquids onto cruiseships that carry thousands of people.

 

Seems like a pretty easy way to kill a few thousand people if the terrorists really wanted to.

 

Now I need to think about something else....:(

 

Everything brought onto HAL ship either in checked luggage or carry on is x-rayed.

 

 

[styles27]

Everything brought onto HAL ship either in checked luggage or carry on is x-rayed.

 

 

 

Sure, but liquid explosives in a wine bottle will still look like wine.

Now times that by multiple cases of "wine" and that's a recipe for disaster.

 

That's what I was thinking.:eek:

[LadyShiva]

Sure, but liquid explosives in a wine bottle will still look like wine.

Now times that by multiple cases of "wine" and that's a recipe for disaster.

 

That's what I was thinking.:eek:

 

If buying an abnormal amount of hydrogen peroxide in a suburban beauty supply store gets you noticed by the FBI, what makes you think buying enough actual liquid explosive to cause holes in steel big enough to sink a cruise ship would go unnoticed?

 

Even fertilizer is watched for unusual buying activity nowadays, thanks to the Oklahoma City bombing. Yes, you could buy <whatever>, but the FBI is stopping stupid people -before- they harm others, versus collecting evidence to prosecute.

 

(and yes, there are tracking and monitoring activities going on in other countries, I just know the public info FBI activities better)

[I_heart_vaca]

Looks like you've got the basis for a movie script.

 

Speed 2! If that's how it works....no worries!:D

 

Oh come on, anyone who has ever watched Star Trek is aware that the engine room can control a ship. :D

 

LOL! So true :D

[styles27]

If buying an abnormal amount of hydrogen peroxide in a suburban beauty supply store gets you noticed by the FBI, what makes you think buying enough actual liquid explosive to cause holes in steel big enough to sink a cruise ship would go unnoticed?

 

Even fertilizer is watched for unusual buying activity nowadays, thanks to the Oklahoma City bombing. Yes, you could buy <whatever>, but the FBI is stopping stupid people -before- they harm others, versus collecting evidence to prosecute.

 

(and yes, there are tracking and monitoring activities going on in other countries, I just know the public info FBI activities better)

 

I've been a hairstylist for 26 yrs ...I buy high volume peroxide by the cases...FBI has never notified me. LOL. See what I mean?

[DanJ]

Everyone is focusing on them hijacking the ship and taking over the bridge. To cause the most damage they would probably position a number of suicide bombers strategically to try and sink the ship with everyone on it. The Concordia proved this is still a possibility, and if it hadn't sunk in shallow water over 1,000 people would have died. There's your terrorist attack.

 

 

In that case, why not use a previously successful tactic, follow the USS Cole script, and add a few more suicide bombers on motor boats. A cruise ship isn't as strong as the hull of a destroyer. Maybe start off which a few rocket propelled grenades at the lifeboat operating platforms.

 

I agree with the other poster, though, in that my take after a quick read is they would want hostages (at least at first), not just dead people.

[sail7seas]

Living is a risk.

Crossing the street is a risk.

Evaluate your risk tolerance and decide if you feel safe cruising........ or not.

 

[t60]

Many ports have sniffer dogs for explosives, we encountered some in Sydney.

 

Sandy

[LadyShiva]

I've been a hairstylist for 26 yrs ...I buy high volume peroxide by the cases...FBI has never notified me. LOL. See what I mean?

 

You have a job (which you probably noted on your tax forms?) in which buying large amounts of hydrogen peroxide is not unusual activity. You probably also haven't triggered other monitoring activities.

[LadyShiva]

In that case, why not use a previously successful tactic, follow the USS Cole script, and add a few more suicide bombers on motor boats. A cruise ship isn't as strong as the hull of a destroyer. Maybe start off which a few rocket propelled grenades at the lifeboat operating platforms.

 

I agree with the other poster, though, in that my take after a quick read is they would want hostages (at least at first), not just dead people.

 

I assume you're talking about non-US ports for this scenario? Even coming into Key West on a Disney ship was a bit eye-opening for me... that was a honkin' HUGE gun on that Coast Guard boat! For the US Virgin Islands, we had even more escorts.

 

Now, if we're talking Somalia or Ethiopia... I can see your point. Availability of arms + desperate people + lawless governments... I'm gonna have to pass on that pleasure cruise, thanks... ;) I think my guide in those situations will be whether or not I can get medical evacuation travel insurance and clearance from DH's employer to go. *laughing* Granted, even Mexico is off the cleared country list currently!

[royal girl]

I saw this this on the news last night and it totally freaked me out! I mean, if terrorists can take down the Twin Towers....

 

Now this will be on my mind on our next cruise. Why can't people just get along.

[sail7seas]

I assume you're talking about non-US ports for this scenario? Even coming into Key West on a Disney ship was a bit eye-opening for me... that was a honkin' HUGE gun on that Coast Guard boat! For the US Virgin Islands, we had even more escorts.

 

Now, if we're talking Somalia or Ethiopia... I can see your point. Availability of arms + desperate people + lawless governments... I'm gonna have to pass on that pleasure cruise, thanks... ;) I think my guide in those situations will be whether or not I can get medical evacuation travel insurance and clearance from DH's employer to go. *laughing* Granted, even Mexico is off the cleared country list currently!

 

 

Are you saying Medical Evacuation Insurance will not pay for an evacuation from Mexico? ALL the usual companies most of us write with? ALL ports in Mexico?

 

[LadyShiva]

Are you saying Medical Evacuation Insurance will not pay for an evacuation from Mexico? ALL the usual companies most of us write with? ALL ports in Mexico?

 

 

No, I wasn't saying that at all. I was saying my personal guide on whether or not I can go somewhere is based on whether I can get medical evacuation insurance AND if DH can get approval to go to that country from his employer. DH isn't allowed to go to even Mexico currently.

[sail7seas]

No, I wasn't saying that at all. I was saying my personal guide on whether or not I can go somewhere is based on whether I can get medical evacuation insurance AND if DH can get approval to go to that country from his employer. DH isn't allowed to go to even Mexico currently.

 

 

So, it's only the prong that your DH is not permitted by his work to travel to Mexico now......

 

not the other prong that companies will not write/cover medical evacuations from Mexico?

 

[LadyShiva]

So, it's only the prong that your DH is not permitted by his work to travel to Mexico now......

 

not the other prong that companies will not write/cover medical evacuations from Mexico?

 

 

Correct. There's no problem getting any medical evacuation insurance for visiting Mexican ports. I had to submit a medical claim for an ER visit in Cozumel on my last cruise (June of 2011), for example... no issues.

[Putterdude]

I can assure you that the hijacking of a cruise ship is very much on the minds of governments around the world. It would be a fairly easy hijacking, the hijackers would have water, lots of food and dare I say lots of hostages. That said, there are plans in place and I have seen vessels being manufactured that would be used in the event of such an occurrence.

[DanJ]

I assume you're talking about non-US ports for this scenario? Even coming into Key West on a Disney ship was a bit eye-opening for me... that was a honkin' HUGE gun on that Coast Guard boat! For the US Virgin Islands, we had even more escorts.

 

 

I haven't read the article to know whether it only talked about US ports, but Al Quaida has obviously targeted other countries besides the US.

[sail7seas]

Correct. There's no problem getting any medical evacuation insurance for visiting Mexican ports. I had to submit a medical claim for an ER visit in Cozumel on my last cruise (June of 2011), for example... no issues.

 

 

Thank you. :)

 

[loubetti]

While it could happen, what you do NOT need to fear is a hijacking. What you might want to fear is terrorists bringing explosives on board, concealed within the linings of custom made luggage, which could later be removed and used as necessary. There are other ways they could get it on board too. If they have willing member(s) of the crew to help, all the better.

 

What you want is explosions and fire, and you want to do it at sea, preferably mid-ocean on a trans-Atlantic or trans-Pacific cruise. No ports nearby.

 

Remember, some of these moronic individuals consider suicide to be an option in order to carry out their plans.

 

They don't need to "hijack" the ship, just sink it / burn it.

 

Despite Costa Concordia, do not expect the cruise lines to have upped the ante when it comes to training. While they may have, when things go wrong, the "plan" goes down the drain, and the terrorists are already ahead of the game. Hijacking is not the issue.

[DanJ]

While it could happen, what you do NOT need to fear is a hijacking. What you might want to fear is terrorists bringing explosives on board, concealed within the linings of custom made luggage, which could later be removed and used as necessary. There are other ways they could get it on board too. If they have willing member(s) of the crew to help, all the better.

 

What you want is explosions and fire, and you want to do it at sea, preferably mid-ocean on a trans-Atlantic or trans-Pacific cruise. No ports nearby.

 

Remember, some of these moronic individuals consider suicide to be an option in order to carry out their plans.

 

They don't need to "hijack" the ship, just sink it / burn it.

 

Despite Costa Concordia, do not expect the cruise lines to have upped the ante when it comes to training. While they may have, when things go wrong, the "plan" goes down the drain, and the terrorists are already ahead of the game. Hijacking is not the issue.

 

Well, unless the goal is hostages for use in negotiations. Which admitedly hasn't really been Osama's MO up until a year ago. But since his group is under new management, who really knows what tactics they might try to use in the future.

[sail7seas]

No one has mentioned divers and ship's hulls.

 

They don't have to come aboard at all to wreck havoc.

 

I know ships send down divers to check nothing has been fiddled with on the hull while a ship is in port.

 

[celle]

Oh, for goodness' sake! There may have been the smallest rumour in intelligence circles of the possibiliity of a hijack by terrorists. The rest is all just media scaremongering.

 

The chances of anyone being hijacked on a cruise ship are infinitesimal, compared to the chances of being injured in a traffic accident.

 

The chances of a hijack happening at all are also incredibly small.

 

If we are all going to worry about being hijacked, in a ship or a plane, then we might as well all stay at home and barricade ourselves in our own little panic room. And then the terrorists will have won!