You're Gonna Need a Bigger Boat!
In the early hours of the 30th of March 2020, the 5-star luxury cruise ship RCGS Resolute was drifting with one engine idling and one engine undergoing maintenance in international waters, approximately 60 nautical miles off Venezuela's northern coast. Under darkness, the cruise ship was approached by the Venezuelan Coast Guard patrol boat Naiguatá (hull number GC-23).
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Accusing the cruise ship of violating the country's territorial waters, The armed Venezuelan Navy vessel ordered Resolute's crew to immediately follow to the port of Puerto Moreno, Isla de Margarita. The Resolute’s master sought to confirm with the shipowner before complying with the request, since it would require a deviation of the ship's planned route.
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Warning shots were fired by the Venezuelan Patrol boat to demonstrate their growing impatience, then in an apparent attempt to turn the cruise ship towards Venezuelan territorial waters, the Captain of Naiguatá rammed the cruise ship on its starboard side at speed
Unfortunately, unbeknownst to the captain of the Venezuelan patrol boat, the luxury cruise ship was also an ice-class expedition cruise ship, with a strengthened hull, high-density steel plating, and propulsion system, that was specially built for the extremes of navigation in ice-covered waters.
Upon multiple ramming attempts by the Venezuelan vessel, the Naiguatá suffered severe damage from contact with the bulbous bow of the cruise ship and immediately started to take water. Venezuelan Naiguatá (hull number GC-23) slipped under the waters, leaving the 44 naval personnel soon to be rescued by another vessel, while Resolute remained in the vicinity until cleared to depart by the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC)
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The Venezuelan minister of defence said RCGS Resolute's action was an act of "imperial aggression, while the President of Venezuela accused the captain of the cruise ship of "piracy" and “terrorism.”, suggesting that the luxury vessel was "carrying mercenaries to attack onshore military bases…
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