Hapag-Lloyd evacuates passengers of C. Columbus

[Jens Boldt]

Hapag-Lloyd yesterday evacuated the passengers of MS "C. Columbus" in the port of Hodeidah, Jemen during the ships current world cruise. Hapag tried in vain to get an escort for the ship by German navy in the Gulf of Aden in order to ward off pirate attacks. Thus they decided to fly their passengers from Hodeidah to Dubai as a measure of precaution.
The ship will travel with a minimum crew through the Gulf of Aden now and passengers and the rest of the crew will return on board at Dubai.

Regards,
Jens

[mooringman]

i just heard tonight on the tv news in germany,the reason for not escorting the MV"Columbus" was ,that she has not the german flag.she is under Bahama flag.i don't know,if this is true,but it is  not acceptable.
the german government always supported the change of the flag from german flag to cheap flags for german shipowners.
and there are a lot of german people on board.

[Michael Martin]

Seems pretty chintzy for the German government not to help protect German citizens traveling abroad, eh? I can pretty well guarantee that the members of the German Navy would have no trouble with the task and might even welcome an opportunity to pop a few of these pirates. Pirate Impunity will continue without Navy gunnery practice opportunities.

You know, you could sell adventure cruise packages here in the US. Let every redneck travel with all their ordinance and then cruise by extra slow so the pirates can be live targets.  :lol:

[Jens Boldt]

Yes, mooringman, that's what they mentioned last night, too, that (in my words) "they're flying the wrong flag"...
Now one might be tempted to think that German navy has better things to do than to protect more or less rich people (it was said that some paid up to

[Malim Sahib]

I can appreciate the stance of the German Navy on this matter. If she's Bahamas flag then let the Bahamas Navy protect her!

Could this be the Flag of Convenience 'chickens' coming home to roost at long last?

[Jens Boldt]

Hi Jim!

12 years of learning English were not enough! I don't understand the sentence with the 'chickens'... :-? I know the words but the sense isn't clear.

Regards,
Jens

[Glenn Towler]

Grasbrook

Another way of desicrbing the term Chickens:  The people who run away. menaing the people who tried to save a Dollar or Two by flaging the ship in cheap country now that decison looks to be coming back to haunt them.  It is a common english slang term to describe someone who backs away, runs off that sort of that as a Chicken

Does this make sense?

[Jens Boldt]

Hi Glenn!

Yes, it does make sense now! Thanks for enligthening me :-D