Cruise ship gives Bali a miss amid fears of imminent attack
Cruise line cancels Bali stop after The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade issues warning to Australians travelling to Indonesia to exercise a high degree of caution due to the high threat of a terrorist attack.
According to a report on News.com.au, other cruise lines are considering following Celebrity Solstice’s move to cancel a stop in the port of Benoa yesterday on its 17-night voyage from Freemantle to Sydney.
The news source reports the ship’s Captain issued a letter to 2850 mostly Australian passengers on board saying “the most recent information received in the past few days indicates that the possibility of an incident has increased”.
“Also the Balinese New Year is on March 9th, and recent past advisories has named this date as one that would be targeted by terrorists,” said Captain Berdos said, per the report.
“Based on all of this information we have gathered from various sources, and in discussion with our Global Security team in Miami, we have made a decision to cancel our call to Bali.”
Meanwhile Royal Caribbean’s Radiance of the Seas is the next ship due into Bali on March 17, and yesterday a spokeswoman told the paper they were also “continuing to monitor the security situation in Indonesia”.
“As far as I’m aware a decision hasn’t been made on Radiance of the Seas’ upcoming call to Bali, scheduled for 17 March,” she said.
The Sun Princess is also due to call on Benoa on March 28, and again a month later but Princess Cruises reportedly has not verified whether either stops would proceed, the paper reports.
Latest statistics showed 101,000 Aussies travelled to the country and predominantly Bali — 14.3 per cent more than in January 2015.
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