Michael Groves
Crew Member Sues Cruise Line For Injury During Pirate Attack
April 24, 2008
We all remember the case of the Seabourn Spirit pirate attack. At the time they tried to make it a non-issue. Pirates attempt attack, fire a few shots, crew respond with sonic blast, pirates go away. End of story. The cruise line did a great job making it seem like business as usual, and a lot of people found the notion that pirates thought they could board a ship the size of Seabourn Spirit pretty funny.
For Michael Groves, the story plays out much different, not all how it unfolded in the media. Groves, severely injured in the attack, a fact not known until now, is now suing Miami-based Carnival Corp and Seabourn Cruise Line, Carnival plc - all trading as Seabourn Cruise Line and Hong Kong-based Cunard Celtic.
Groves says that the cruise line was negligent in sailing the coast of Somalia after international warnings of pirate attacks were well-known, and that they deliberately sailed at too slow of a speed to fend off a potential pirate attack and their response to the pirate attack after their initial negligence resulted in a life-long disability for him.
Groves was working as a security officer aboard Seabourn Spirit when pirates attacked the ship on November 5, 2005 with rifles and a rocket launcher. The pirates blew a hole in the side of the ship as it sailed off the coast of Somalia.
Mr Groves, a 42-year-old crew member dodged their bullets, and used a fire hose to try to push them away from the the cruise ship.
As a former policeman, he won the Queen's Gallantry Medal last year for his courage in fighting off the pirates.
The ship was just 63 miles off the Somalia coast, when the pirates in two fast open boats, armed with Kalashnikov AK47s and a rocket propelled grenade launcher, attacked.
Two grenades were fired into the ship, but Mr Groves and two Gurkha masters fought off the pirates and prevented them from boarding. When he was honored for his bravery, Mr Groves said: "As soon as I went on the deck I came under automatic fire. A rocket grenade blew me off my feet."
Co-worker Som Bahadur Gurung tried to activate a sonic cannon, known as a Long Range Acoustic Device, but was hit by a bullet and fell to the ground.
After dragging Mr Gurung to safety, Mr Groves turned the sonic weapon on the pirates and the pirates were forced to retreat.
However, a writ issued at London's High Court and just made public says Mr Grove was injured in the attack and has developed tinnitus - a hearing disorder. This is the same injury actor William Shatner received from loud noises he was subjected to on the set of the vintage television series, Star Trek.
Groves seeks damages of £300,000 against Miami-based Carnival Corp and Seabourn Cruise Line, Carnival plc - all trading as Seabourn Cruise Line and Hong Kong-based Cunard Celtic.
He claims they were negligent by ignoring warnings of piracy, and by taking the ship within 63 miles of the coast of Somalia, instead of staying at least 150 miles out at sea, per international warnings to vessels long before the attack took place.
He also accuses the companies of allowing the ship to travel too slowly, making it more vulnerable to attack.
As early as the summer of 2005, ships were warned to stay at least 150 miles off the Somalia coast, and to use extreme caution in the region.
Seabourn Spirit officers ignored the risks of piracy and terrorist attacks, stood down the piracy watch and wrongly told him that the ship was 140 miles off the coast.
In the suit he claims that had he known the ship was so close to the coast, he would have warned them to increase the distance from the coastline and to continue a piracy watch.
Mr Groves seeks damages to cover his loss of earnings and pension loss, and says he is significantly prejudiced in the labor market as a result of his injuries.
