(7 Nov 2005)
1. Long shot of Seabourn Spirit on sea with US navy ship behind it
2. Various of Seabourn Spirit
3. Minibus carrying passengers driving by
4. Passengers waving through minibus window
5. South African passengers taking pictures at observation point on the island
6. American passengers
7. SOUNDBITE (English): Gean Noll, American passenger:
"When he (captain) said this is not a drill, I thought oh boy, we're going to have to abandon ship, it's on fire!"
8. SOUNDBITE (English): Gean Noll, American passenger:
"We had a wonderful captain, and he knew exactly what to do and he got us out of harms way. Very was scary."
9. SOUNDBITE (English): Charles Forsdick, South African passengers:
"They hit us with rocket grenades, RPGs (Rocket Propelled Grenades). And there was a woman in her cabin, and she was fortunately in her bathroom, but the rocket grenade went right through and blew the whole cabin out."
10. Long shot of ship in New Port harbour
11. SOUNDBITE (English): Clyde Noll, American passenger:
"Nothing will keep us from cruising, we cruise very frequently"
12. US Navy ship
13. Van with passengers driving away
STORYLINE:
The luxury cruise liner, Seabourn Spirit, which was attacked by pirates, docked in Mahe Island in the Seychelles on Monday.
A US military ship escorted it to port.
Passengers disembarked from the ship and were transported away from the port by minibus.
They took a tour of the island and also spoke of their ordeal.
"When he (captain) said this is not a drill, I thought oh boy, we're going to have to abandon ship, it's on fire!" said American passenger Gean Noll.
Seemingly undeterred, one passenger said "nothing will keep us from cruising."
Another passenger described how a woman escaped a rocket propelled grenade by being in the bathroom.
"She was fortunately in her bathroom, but the rocket grenade went right through and blew the whole cabin out," said South African passenger Charles Forsdick.
Two boats full of pirates approached the ship about 100 miles (160 kilometres) off the Somali coast on Saturday and fired rocket-propelled grenades and assault rifles while the heavily armed bandits tried to get onboard.
The ship escaped by shifting to high speed and changing course.
Its passengers, mostly Americans with some Australians and Europeans, were gathered in a lounge for safety, and none were injured, a Seabourn Cruise Line spokesman said.
Somali pirates are trained fighters with maritime knowledge, officials said.
They identify their targets by listening to the international radio channel used by ships at sea.
The Spirit was bound for Mombasa, Kenya, at the end of a 16-day voyage from Alexandria, Egypt.
The 440-foot-long (135-metre-long) cruise ship, which is registered in the Bahamas, sustained minor damage, officials said.
There has been a sharp rise in piracy this year along Somalia's coastline, with 25 attacks reported since March 15, according to the International Maritime Bureau,
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