The head of the company whose cruise ship carrying 62 New Zealanders was attacked by pirates off Africa has played down reports of a gun battle having broken out.
The ship, MSC Melody, was over 900km off the Somali coast on Saturday when attacked.
Many of the New Zealanders had booked the cruise through World Journeys in Auckland, where director Kate Gohar received text messages from the tour party during the attack at the weekend.
"We are being attacked by pirates," the text said.
The ship's captain, Ciro Pinto, said afterwards the attack had felt like "war" and that one passenger and one crew member were injured by broken glass from windows shattered by gunfire.
But the ship's other 990 passengers were not injured.
Cargo ships and yachts have been seized in the notoriously dangerous stretch of water, but a pirate told AFP if Saturday's attempted seizure had been succes sful it would have been a "new landmark" for pirates.
MSC Cruises chief executive Pier Francesco Vago told Radio New Zealand today the ship's radar didn't pick up the speed boat used by the pirates and it had arrived unexpectedly.
"What happened was that bullets started flying ... the captain immediately realised that we were under attack."
He said crew herded passengers into their cabins and got them to switch their lights off.
Mr Vago played down reports of security staff on the ship having had a shootout with the pirates.
"No, no, we are not cowboys, we are on a cruise, a cruise is a holiday place for people to relax drinking their G and Ts next to the pool."
He said the captain instructed crew members to prepare high pressure hoses, and also fetched a couple of weapons from the ship's safe.
"The pirates did approach the ship from the back and tried to literally harpoon the ship by throwing ropes and trying to attach a ladder and climb on board."
It was then that the crew began hosing them and the captain zig-zagged the ship.
The pirates were being sprayed with water and couldn't get the ladder secured and then security guards fired "two warning shots into the air" as a deterrent.
"By that stage the pirates decided to give it up."
Mr Vago said the pirates "wanted to become stars".
"In a world of reality shows, it seems to me that's the next level of reality shows."
He said his company had since decided to stop sailing via the Suez Canal and east Africa. "It is a no-go area, full stop."
