Venezuelan Navy Attacks Cruise Ship, Loses | Tales From the Bottle

You'd think an armed military vehicle could easily bully a civilian ship, but apparently it's not so easy...

"In a statement released by Venezuela on 31 March, RCGS Resolute was accused of committing an act of "aggression and piracy" by intentionally ramming and sinking Naiguatá while the patrol boat was conducting a maritime traffic control operation, as well as of acting "cowardly and criminal" for not participating in the search and rescue of the patrol boat's crew of 44, all of which were rescued by other Venezuelan vessels. An illustration of the incident released by the Venezuelan Navy describes RCGS Resolute turning hard starboard to ram Naiguatá while the patrol boat was sailing alongside the cruise ship. Video footage later released by the Venezuelan Navy first show a Naiguatá crewman firing warning shots with an AK-47 assault rifle, followed by the patrol boat taking water after colliding with the RCGS Resolute's visibly damaged bow. In addition, Venezuela has also alleged that Portuguese-flagged RCGS Resolute was carrying mercenaries for attacking the country's military bases and that the ship's inflatable Zodiac boats were intended to transport them to shore.
According to a statement released on 1 April by Columbia Cruise Services, the company responsible for technical management of RCGS Resolute, the cruise ship was approached by Naiguatá in international waters, about 13 nautical miles (24 km; 15 mi) from La Tortuga Island, Venezuela, shortly after midnight. RCGS Resolute, which had left Buenos Aires on 5 March, had been adrift in the open sea for a day while carrying out routine maintenance on the starboard main engine before reaching her next destination, Willemstad in Curaçao. After having questioned her intentions over radio, the Venezuelan Coast Guard vessel ordered RCGS Resolute to follow her to Puerto Moreno on the eastern side of Margarita Island. While the master was in contact with the company's head office and designated person ashore (DPA), warning shots were fired from Naiguatá and, shortly afterwards, the Venezuelan patrol boat purposely rammed the cruise ship's starboard bow. During an apparent attempt to change the heading of RCGS Resolute towards Venezuelan territorial waters, Naiguatá came in contact with the cruise ship's ice-strengthened bulbous bow, started to take water, and eventually sank. RCGS Resolute, which had a crew of 32 onboard but was not carrying passengers, survived the encounter with superficial damage and remained on site for over an hour to provide assistance until being allowed to continue towards Willemstad by Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) Curaçao."

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