Queen Anne cruise ship, operated by Cunard, advised passengers to remain cautious and take care if they needed to transit the deck at night, and asked them to reduce the use of lights while the ship passed through a piracy-prone area in Southeast Asia, according to a Thursday, March 13, TikTok post from user cruisegypsyuk@lillydapink.
The passengers were advised through the cabin PA system that the area they were passing through, the Sulu-Celebes Sea, from Darwin, Australia, to Manila in the Philippines, is “known for piracy threats.” The announcement continued saying they were, “operating at a heightened level of security alertness during this period,” which included the external promenade deck being closed overnight and “deck lights will be on to reduce the ship’s external lighting.”
The announcement also requested that passengers “turn off your stateroom lights when not needed, and close the curtains of your stateroom window or balcony.”
Cunard cruise company released a statement saying, “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.”