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Captain Phillips movie - don't watch if you are cruising into pirate waters!


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Just been to a preview screening of Captain Phillips tonight.

 

Oh my goodness what a movie, not only do you get motion sickness from watching it, but scares the hell out of you about cruising in pirate infested movies.

 

A very much action packed movie about Captain Phillips and his cargo ship hijacked by Somalian pirates.

 

 

 

Tom Hanks's new movie "Captain Phillips" is based on the story of merchant mariner Richard Phillips, captain of the MV Maersk Alabama. The Alabama was hijacked by Somali pirates in 2009.

 

 

While the movie depicts Phillips as heroic, many of the crew members of the MV Maersk Alabama say his actions were reckless. But is this another movie loosely based on a true story or is the real story as thrilling as the film?

 

Fact: The Somali pirates arrived while the Alabama's crew was doing an emergency drill.

 

According to crew members, Richard Phillips was a no-nonsense captain and made it a point to run several emergency drills. One drill got interrupted by pirates like in the film.

 

Fact: Phillips is kidnapped.

 

The Alabama crew tried to exchange the captain for a capture pirate like in the movie but once the pirate hostage was off the Alabama, the Somalis drove the lifeboat without letting the captain climb back to his ship.

 

 

 

Fact: Phillips faked a call to deter the pirates.

 

When Captain Phillips saw the pirate boats targeting the Alabama, he faked a radio communication to a U.S. Navy warship.

 

In the film, one ship and two speedboats are in hot pursuit of the Alabama but upon hearing the fake call, one of the speedboats back off.

 

Fact: The Navy SEALs got involved.

 

This is part fact, part fiction. While Phillips was on board the lifeboat, the Somali pirates planned to kill him. However, Phillips got so sick that a doctor from the Navy had to climb on board. This gave the SEALs an opening to attack.

 

Fiction: Captain Phillips took pity on one of the pirates.

 

Before the screening of "Captain Phillips", Richard Phillips said, "There was no Stockholm syndrome". In the film however, Tom Hanks says a few things that could be classified as sympathy.

 

The high seas drama starring veteran actor Tom Hanks may have slight changes but most of the events depicted in the film are true, according to Time Magazine.

Edited by Australian family
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Arrr me harties them there pirates in these waters.:D

 

O I do wander if them pirates in the waters where are cruiseing to PNG next week. should a great movie and Tom Hanks is a great actor.

Edited by thied
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Should be a good movie. I was disappointed we missed the Seychelles on Arcadia last year, Sydney to Southampton due to pirate activity. Such is life on the high seas.

 

I don't think Thied and co will see any pirate activity around PNG, we Australian Taxpayers give muchas Kina to PNG. Too muchas Kina in my opinion.

Edited by NSWP
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Unfortunately the powers operating in the area are not tough enough on pirates in my opinion. Capturing them and releasing them is not the way to go. Perhaps if they kept disappearing without a trace on the high seas then they will stop their barbaric and cruel acts of piracy. Just think of how the poor crew members feel and their families feel with people held hostage by these barbarians for months on end. Any money they get goes straight back into fighting their cause.

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I really doubt that pirates would target a cruise ship. Far too many people onboard for them to be able to control them.

We did go through pirate waters on our last cruise through the Suez Canal and I can assure anyone that there was lots of security on the ship, some specially trained and came onto the ship just before we went though the pirate waters with water guns and lots more equipment in huge boxes specially for pirate trouble.

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I really doubt that pirates would target a cruise ship. Far too many people onboard for them to be able to control them.

We did go through pirate waters on our last cruise through the Suez Canal and I can assure anyone that there was lots of security on the ship, some specially trained and came onto the ship just before we went though the pirate waters with water guns and lots more equipment in huge boxes specially for pirate trouble.

 

They have attacked cruise ships before and have made several documented attempts to capture them.

 

All they have to do is start shooting passengers with their AK47's and they have complete control.

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I really doubt that pirates would target a cruise ship. Far too many people onboard for them to be able to control them.

We did go through pirate waters on our last cruise through the Suez Canal and I can assure anyone that there was lots of security on the ship, some specially trained and came onto the ship just before we went though the pirate waters with water guns and lots more equipment in huge boxes specially for pirate trouble.

 

 

Hi Lizzy, unfortunately pirates do attack cruise ships...

 

 

The MV Seabourn Spirit, a luxury cruise liner carrying 210 crew members and passengers, was attacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia.[8] Riding in two small speedboats, the pirates fired at the ship with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades, but the crew drove them off with a water hose and a long range acoustic device.[9]

 

copied from ships attacked by pirates.. have a read,..,,interesting.

 

kind regards, Lorraine :):)

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I really doubt that pirates would target a cruise ship. Far too many people onboard for them to be able to control them.

We did go through pirate waters on our last cruise through the Suez Canal and I can assure anyone that there was lots of security on the ship, some specially trained and came onto the ship just before we went though the pirate waters with water guns and lots more equipment in huge boxes specially for pirate trouble.

 

The pirates will target any ship they can. A cruise ship would be very desirable to attack, they want money!

 

Do you know if they took on arms for the trip through the Suez Canal?

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:)

The pirates will target any ship they can. A cruise ship would be very desirable to attack, they want money!

 

Do you know if they took on arms for the trip through the Suez Canal?

 

If they did most wouldn't have known think almost everyone left ship

to visit Pyramids, we did at some stage take on extra, quite a few, personnel of eastern european persuasion whether it was Alexandria or Jordan not sure. Provisions, captains description, a couple of men with their their tools of trade lol, were loaded in the middle of nowhere at sea day after Jordan, was so exciting... loved pirate drill and the nightly external curfews. We had a balcony cabin and one evening we came across our steward racing to our door phone in hand.... twas the bridge he ordering him to close our curtains properly... a slither of light was visible ... not our fault thankgoodness.. was a wakeup call for us that they take security seriously... men who loaded middle of nowhere also disembarked middle of nowhere......

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:)

 

If they did most wouldn't have known think almost everyone left ship

to visit Pyramids, we did at some stage take on extra, quite a few, personnel of eastern european persuasion whether it was Alexandria or Jordan not sure. Provisions, captains description, a couple of men with their their tools of trade lol, were loaded in the middle of nowhere at sea day after Jordan, was so exciting... loved pirate drill and the nightly external curfews. We had a balcony cabin and one evening we came across our steward racing to our door phone in hand.... twas the bridge he ordering him to close our curtains properly... a slither of light was visible ... not our fault thankgoodness.. was a wakeup call for us that they take security seriously... men who loaded middle of nowhere also disembarked middle of nowhere......

 

That is very reassuring that the bridge had the steward going into your room to close your curtains. Do they turn off a lot of internal lights, eg in the public areas?

 

I like the comment tools of trade!

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Why aren't ships allowed to hold weapons to defend themselves against pirates?

 

I sat there watching the film thinking that if the ship had the right to bear arms, the whole thing would never have happened if they had been able to shoot them as they were climbing the ladder from their pirate boats into the ship.

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Today there is no risk of passing pirate-filled waters - cruise lines know what precautions to take to protect the ships. Warships for hire are changing maritime security today.

Here is a short video of Patrol Boat AL345 from PVI | Protection Vessels International Ltd escorting Royal Caribbean International's "Brilliance of the Seas" through Gulf of Aden January 21, 2011 to protect against piracy on her way from Barcelona to Dubai. Click on picture to watch short video.

Link to short video:

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When we went through the Indian Ocean , we had a group of Gurkhas join the ship and they patrolled the decks. The Captain would neither confirm nor deny if any weapons were on board...but I am sure there were.

If anyone is interested here is the link to the thread from when the Seabourn ship was attacked and a CC member was posting live reports. It was from 2005 and unfortunatelty the pics are no longer there. They were either sold to news agencies or have expired.

 

 

Cruise liner fends off pirate attack (Spirit)

November 5th, 2005,

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=251873&highlight=pirate+photo

Edited by Kiwi Kruzer
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Princess Cruise Lines employ mainly ex Ghurka Solders for their on board security. I don't think they carry their Kukris (short dagger) with them though. They would give the Somali pirates some swish.

 

Going to see Capt.Phillips on Monday.

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