Are Cruise Ships Safe from Terrorist Attack?

 

Are Cruise Ships Safe

from Terrorist Attack?

 

by Christina K Gross

April 15, 2018


I've been a student of global politics and foreign affairs for decades. A global Age of Terror is dawning as organized fanatics gain the support of rogue governments and use advances in technology and computer savvy against civilized nations.

I have become increasingly focused on the possibility of terrorist and pirate attacks against cruise ships anywhere in the world, especially against Americans.

A great danger exists today that few people are willing to discuss: the inability of cruise ships to adequately defend themselves against hordes of techno-equipped and heavily-armed attackers.

Want proof? Go online to the website of any major cruise line. You'll be able to easily download and print out the hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly arrival and departure dates of their cruise ships.

Making transit schedules public may not be a good idea and could lead to a horrendous international conflict (read my book).

Here are three alarming facts I've uncovered after researching four decades of terrorist and pirate attacks:

• Terrorists and pirates are becoming more sophisticated. Long gone are the small skiff attacks against commercial ocean-crossing vessels along coastal waters (includes cruise ships). Global terrorist networks use satellite communications and highly-trained experts on ships, boats and old submarines purchased on the black market. They are heavily-armed and follow the clever plans of masterminds.

• Western cultures, especially U.S. citizens, are the targets of choice by terrorists and pirates because of wealth, conflicting values, beliefs, and social equality. Can you think of an easier target than thousands of Western vacationers packed on sixteen decks of a helpless cruise ship in the middle of the ocean? And what happens when the world's great navies are called to the rescue?

• International maritime laws were revised in 2010 to prohibit advanced weapons on board commercial vessels (cruise ships). Aural, microwave heat, and sonic defensive tactics currently in use may prove inadequate against armed drones, missiles, and torpedoes.

Think airline security is tight for 300+ passengers with limited luggage and carry-ons? Consider trying to securely manage over 8300 people boarding the world's largest cruise ship, Global Star, and their luggage and 75,000 tons of cargo that must be stored before departure.

To raise awareness of this danger, I wrapped my findings in a thought-provoking romantic suspense thriller, ARE THE TEARS YOU CRY FOR ME. The fictional story follows a dozen people who find themselves targeted by highly-organized terrorists while trusted political and corporate leaders on the mainland scheme to profit from such an attack.

The most frightening aspect of my story is what happens after the inadequately-armed cruise ship and the thousands of helpless people on aboard are attacked on the open sea. International regulations forbid many types of defensive and offensive weapons to be installed on board commercial vessels (includes cruise ships) due to the laws of foreign nations and their ports. And the pirate and terrorist organizations are aware of this.


Read about my suspense thriller ARE THE TEARS YOU CRY FOR ME here