Cruise Ship Has Brush With Somali Pirates In Indian Ocean

Cruise Ship's Run-In With Pirates

A cruise ship carrying 350 people was nearly attacked by Somali pirates this week off the coast of Tanzania, according to The Guardian.

Saga cruise line's Spirit of Adventure, heading from Madagascar, was 100 miles off the shore of Zanzibar when the brush with pirates occurred.

The kicker? Guests had just been seated for a black-tie dinner when, one passenger explained to the UK's Daily Mail, they were told "to keep our heads down in case they shot [the pirates] shot through the windows." It seems ship's captain had previously tried to speed up and evade the pirates to no avail.

When the all-clear signal was given after a little over 45 minutes later, guests returned to their formal meal, but not before giving the captain a standing ovation and a round of "For he's a jolly good fellow."

The ship started its two-week journey in Mauritius on New Year's Day and is one of the only cruise lines still operating in the Indian Ocean, according to MSNBC.

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