MS Nautica
Encyclopedia
MS Nautica is an R class cruise ship
owned and operated Oceania Cruises
. She was built in 2000 by the Chantiers de l'Atlantique
shipyard in St. Nazaire, France for Renaissance Cruises
as MS R Five. Between 2002 and 2004 she sailed for Pullmantur Cruises
before entering service with her current owners in 2005.
On 30 November 2008 while sailing on the Gulf of Aden
the Nautica came under attack by Somalian pirates
, but was able to escape without any injuries to passenger or crew.
s built between 1998 and 2001 by Chantiers de l'Atlantique
at St. Nazaire, France for Renaissance Cruises
. Her keel was laid on 22 March 1999 and she was lanuched from drydock on 31 July 1999. Following fitting out, the R Five was delivered to Renaissance Cruises on 29 January 2000.
. In December 2001 she was sold to the France-based Cruiseinvest and alongside her sisters was moved to Marseille
, France for a further lay-up.
From June 2002 the R Five was chartered to the Spain-based Pullmantur Cruises
for cruising for the Spanish market. In service with Pullmantur she was marketed under the name "Blue Dream", but her registered name remained unchanged. During the northern hemisphere
winter seasons she sailed out of Brazilian port as a part of Pullmantur's joint service with CVC
. R Five left service with Pullmantur in 2004.
In November 2005 the R Five re-entered service when she was chartered to Oceania Cruises
and renamed Nautica. On 30 November 2008 the Nautica was sailing from Safaga, Egypt to Salah, Oman on the Maritime Safety Protection Area established in the Gulf of Aden
due to persistent pirate attacks on the area, when at approximately 9:28 AM UTC+3
the ship encountered two Somalian pirate
skiff
s. Captain Jurica Brajcic ordered the ship to take evasive manoeuvres and to sail away at flank speed
. The Nautica was able to outrun her attackers, although the ship was fired at eight times. None of the 684 passengers or 401 crew onboard were injured in the attack. Following the attack the Nautica proceeded normally to her next scheduled port of call.
Cruise ship
A cruise ship or cruise liner is a passenger ship used for pleasure voyages, where the voyage itself and the ship's amenities are part of the experience, as well as the different destinations along the way...
owned and operated Oceania Cruises
Oceania Cruises
Oceania Cruises is a Miami, Florida, United States-based shipping company that operates four luxury cruise ships on world-wide itenaries. It is currently the world’s largest upscale cruise line, offering good-quality food and itineraries at a cheap price when compared to other upscale cruise lines...
. She was built in 2000 by the Chantiers de l'Atlantique
Chantiers de l'Atlantique
Chantiers de l'Atlantique is part of the South Korean STX Shipbuilding Group and one of the world's largest shipyards, based in Saint-Nazaire, France...
shipyard in St. Nazaire, France for Renaissance Cruises
Renaissance Cruises
Renaissance Cruises, originally founded in 1989 owned by Fearnley & Eger Rederi in Oslo - Norway, was a cruise line operator that operated year-round cruise itineraries to the Mediterranean, the Greek Isles, Tahiti and the South Pacific, Northern Europe and Scandinavia. The company ceased...
as MS R Five. Between 2002 and 2004 she sailed for Pullmantur Cruises
Pullmantur Cruises
Pullmantur Cruises is a cruise line headquartered in Spain. It began operations in the late 1990s as an offshoot of the Madrid-based travel agency Pullmantur. Pullmantur Cruises, through its parent company, was purchased by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. in 2006.- Overview :Pullmantur Cruises is the...
before entering service with her current owners in 2005.
On 30 November 2008 while sailing on the Gulf of Aden
Gulf of Aden
The Gulf of Aden is located in the Arabian Sea between Yemen, on the south coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and Somalia in the Horn of Africa. In the northwest, it connects with the Red Sea through the Bab-el-Mandeb strait, which is about 20 miles wide....
the Nautica came under attack by Somalian pirates
Piracy in Somalia
Piracy off the coast of Somalia has been a threat to international shipping since the second phase of the Somali Civil War in the early 21st century...
, but was able to escape without any injuries to passenger or crew.
Concept and construction
R Five was the fifth ship in a series of eight identical cruise shipCruise ship
A cruise ship or cruise liner is a passenger ship used for pleasure voyages, where the voyage itself and the ship's amenities are part of the experience, as well as the different destinations along the way...
s built between 1998 and 2001 by Chantiers de l'Atlantique
Chantiers de l'Atlantique
Chantiers de l'Atlantique is part of the South Korean STX Shipbuilding Group and one of the world's largest shipyards, based in Saint-Nazaire, France...
at St. Nazaire, France for Renaissance Cruises
Renaissance Cruises
Renaissance Cruises, originally founded in 1989 owned by Fearnley & Eger Rederi in Oslo - Norway, was a cruise line operator that operated year-round cruise itineraries to the Mediterranean, the Greek Isles, Tahiti and the South Pacific, Northern Europe and Scandinavia. The company ceased...
. Her keel was laid on 22 March 1999 and she was lanuched from drydock on 31 July 1999. Following fitting out, the R Five was delivered to Renaissance Cruises on 29 January 2000.
Service history
On 1 February 2000 the R Five entered service with Renaissance Cruises on cruises in the Mediterranean. She stayed in service until 25 September 2001, when Renaissance Cruises was declared bankrupt due to financial difficulties caused by the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks. Alongside six of her sister ships the R Five was laid up at GibraltarGibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
. In December 2001 she was sold to the France-based Cruiseinvest and alongside her sisters was moved to Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
, France for a further lay-up.
From June 2002 the R Five was chartered to the Spain-based Pullmantur Cruises
Pullmantur Cruises
Pullmantur Cruises is a cruise line headquartered in Spain. It began operations in the late 1990s as an offshoot of the Madrid-based travel agency Pullmantur. Pullmantur Cruises, through its parent company, was purchased by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. in 2006.- Overview :Pullmantur Cruises is the...
for cruising for the Spanish market. In service with Pullmantur she was marketed under the name "Blue Dream", but her registered name remained unchanged. During the northern hemisphere
Northern Hemisphere
The Northern Hemisphere is the half of a planet that is north of its equator—the word hemisphere literally means “half sphere”. It is also that half of the celestial sphere north of the celestial equator...
winter seasons she sailed out of Brazilian port as a part of Pullmantur's joint service with CVC
CVC
- Science and Industry :*Compact Video Cassette - a quarter-inch video cassette format*Card Verification Code - a security feature on credit cards*Card Verifiable Certificate - a format for digital certificates usable by smart cards...
. R Five left service with Pullmantur in 2004.
In November 2005 the R Five re-entered service when she was chartered to Oceania Cruises
Oceania Cruises
Oceania Cruises is a Miami, Florida, United States-based shipping company that operates four luxury cruise ships on world-wide itenaries. It is currently the world’s largest upscale cruise line, offering good-quality food and itineraries at a cheap price when compared to other upscale cruise lines...
and renamed Nautica. On 30 November 2008 the Nautica was sailing from Safaga, Egypt to Salah, Oman on the Maritime Safety Protection Area established in the Gulf of Aden
Gulf of Aden
The Gulf of Aden is located in the Arabian Sea between Yemen, on the south coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and Somalia in the Horn of Africa. In the northwest, it connects with the Red Sea through the Bab-el-Mandeb strait, which is about 20 miles wide....
due to persistent pirate attacks on the area, when at approximately 9:28 AM UTC+3
UTC+3
UTC+03:00 is an identifier for a time offset from UTC of +03. In ISO 8601 the associated time would be written as . This time is used in:-East Africa Time:*Comoros*Djibouti*Eritrea*Ethiopia*Kenya*Madagascar...
the ship encountered two Somalian pirate
Piracy in Somalia
Piracy off the coast of Somalia has been a threat to international shipping since the second phase of the Somali Civil War in the early 21st century...
skiff
Skiff
The term skiff is used for a number of essentially unrelated styles of small boat. The word is related to ship and has a complicated etymology: "skiff" comes from the Middle English skif, which derives from the Old French esquif, which in turn derives from the Old Italian schifo, which is itself of...
s. Captain Jurica Brajcic ordered the ship to take evasive manoeuvres and to sail away at flank speed
Flank speed
Flank speed is a nautical term referring to a ship's true maximum speed, beyond the speed that can be reached by traveling at full speed. Usually, flank speed is reserved for situations in which a ship finds itself in imminent danger, such as coming under attack by aircraft...
. The Nautica was able to outrun her attackers, although the ship was fired at eight times. None of the 684 passengers or 401 crew onboard were injured in the attack. Following the attack the Nautica proceeded normally to her next scheduled port of call.