A TikTok has gone viral after a passenger recorded an announcement onboard a cruise ship, telling passengers to close their curtains and turn off their lights in case of a pirate attack
A video on TikTok has revealed the reason why captains ask cruise passengers to close their curtains in their cabins.
The clip – which has amassed more than eight million views on TikTok – shows passengers on Cunard’s luxury Queen Anne cruise ship receiving a warning from the captain over a “heightened level of security alertness” as a result of possible “piracy” threats. And as a result, passengers were asked to close their curtains and turn off their lights.
The announcement also revealed that the external promenade would be closed from 9pm to 5pm for a two-day period and that only “essential” lights would remain on in the ship’s external communal areas.
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The captain did assure passengers that “measure to prevent any unlikely incident have been well-planned” and that the likelihood of an attack remained “absolutely minimal”. Many users on the platform rushed to comment on the video posted by user lillydapink. One person commented: “How do people relax after hearing this.” Another added: “I feel that’s something I’d want to know before buying a ticket!”
The Queen Anne is known for being a modern ship, that “offers both exciting, novel experiences”. In total the ship has 92 cabins, spread across 13 decks, which host around 3,000 passengers.
In a statement given to Business Insider, a representative for Cunard said: “As part of standard maritime procedures, our Captains may make precautionary announcements when sailing through certain regions. There was no specific threat to the ship or its guests, and our onboard experience remained uninterrupted.”
The threat of piracy and abduction was down graded from ‘moderately low’ to ‘low’ in February, by the Philippine Coast Guard, however those onboard ships, including luxury cruises such as the Queen Anne, are urged to remain vigilant.
The Cunard Queen Anne ship is currently on an 111-night “maiden World voyage” from Hamburg, Germany, stopping at destinations including New York, Sydney, Hawaii, Penang and Cape Town, as well as passing through the Sulu-Celebs sea. Prices for the voyage started at $16,379 (£12,660.15) per person, according to Cruise Critic and at this price tag, passengers have access to the world class vessel’s pools, restaurants promenade deck and spa. The luxury suites even come with their own butler service.
There have been cases of cruises attacked by pirates in the past. For example, in November 2005, the Seabourn Spirit was attacked by Somali pirates off the coast of Somalia. The pirates opened fire and attempted to board the ship, but the crew managed to prevent them from doing so.
In April 2009, the MSC Melody, another cruise ship, experienced a similar incident near the Seychelles. Pirates attempted to board after a late-night concert onboard, but passengers threw deck chairs overboard, and the pirates eventually retreated.