More cruise industry scaremongering – this time it’s ISIS.

I believe the cruise industry receives so much bad press far to often relating to illness or mechanical failure (it happens, get over it) but a recent article I read really made my blood boil. Published online it was the biggest non story I have read in a long time, but with the headline ‘ISIS SEEN AS THREAT TO CRUISE SHIPS ON THE MEDITERRANEAN’ it can’t fail to get peoples attention.

Let me explain, the article basically said with ISIS now having set up Libyan strongholds along the Mediterranean coast, and therefore now being on Europe’s doorstep there is an apparent threat to Mediterranean cruise ships that sail from Sicily up the Italian coast to the south of France, or hop from one Greek island to another.

Despite there being no evidence at all of this apparent threat, the Italian Ministry of Defense (in it’s wisdom) has outlined various grim scenarios whereby ISIS would/could engage in Somali-style piracy on the Mediterranean, menacing shipping companies and cruise ships.

The report states: “Having gained control of some ports and of vessels of various descriptions and with the possibility of taking advantage of the experience accumulated by the people traffickers working the migratory routes for years, ISIS could repeat the scenario that has dominated the maritime region between Somalia and Aden for the last ten years.”

The report details what how this might play out: “Speed boats could attack fishing boats, cruise ships, small merchant ships, as well as coast guard in this case more to capture prisoners to exhibit in orange jumpsuits and a knife to the neck (and to ask for lucrative ransoms for them).”

So basically the Italian Ministry of Defense has decided to put out a report offering scenarios where bad things might/could/possibly happen, based on no clear evidence whatsoever! – Brilliant.

There has been no talk as yet about changing or eliminating routes, Gianno Onorato, the CEO of MSC Cruises, explained that the company has no ships that pass close to Libya and have no concerns at all, and another Italian cruise company Costa Crociere,  who have 12 of its 15 ships in the Mediterranean are ‘monitoring ‘ the situation which is standard procedure anyway.

So the if the cruise lines themselves are not concerned how is ‘‘ISIS SEEN AS THREAT TO CRUISE SHIPS ON THE MEDITERRANEAN’?

Would/could/might/possibly……journalism at it’s very best, I think not.

Is it me?

Bye for now.