Pirates force Seabourn to cancel Indian Ocean cruises in 2010/2011

October 24, 5:26 AMCruise Ship ExaminerJonathan Siskin

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Increasing incidents of piracy off the coast of  Somalia continue to affect the deployment of  ships worldwide including some cruise vessels. This was dramatically  illustrated by the recent announcement by Seabourn Cruises that it was canceling of a five-month series of 15 sailings scheduled for 2010 and 2011 aboard the 208 passenger Seabourn Legend. The canceled cruises would have sailed on itineraries to ports in the Indian Ocean and Africa including  Kenya, the Seychelles, Madagascar, and Zanzibar.

The Legend will avoid the potential of pirate assaults by repositioning to the "pirate free" Caribbean  during  2010 and 2011. Meanwhile the Legend's sister ship, Seabourn Spirit, is slated to cruise through the Gulf of Aden to Dubai and Oman following its departure from the Mediterranean in November, 2010. Cruise destinations such as the Mediterranean and the Gulf of Aden have been off-limits to pirates as these outlaws of the sea prefer prowling the waters of  the Indian Ocean off the African coast.