INTERNATIONAL INJURY

Personal injury claim following attack by Somali pirates with international element

Reviewed by Michael Blakemore-Carson Associate & Litigation Executive

Last Updated 2nd November 2026

Personal injury claim after Somali pirate attack

Our client was working as a ship’s security officer on board a Carnival Cruise Line vessel when it was attacked by Somali pirates off the east coast of Africa. The attack left him with both physical and psychiatric injuries and led to a complex personal injury claim involving proceedings in the United States and England and Wales.

Case summary

Our client was injured during an attack by Somali pirates while working as a ship’s security officer.
The claim involved complex questions around jurisdiction and liability.
The case reached a confidential settlement six weeks before trial.

Injured while defending the vessel from a pirate attack

Our client was working as a security officer on board a Carnival Cruise Line vessel when Somali pirates attacked the ship off the east coast of Africa.

During the attack, our client and the Master at Arms fought off the pirates using water hoses and a long-range acoustic device. Our client suffered both physical and psychiatric injuries as a result.

A complex claim involving more than one jurisdiction

Our specialists brought a claim against several defendants. Proceedings initially began in California, but the judge decided that England and Wales was the appropriate jurisdiction for the case.

The matter was subsequently commenced in the Queen’s Bench Division of the Admiralty Court. This meant our lawyers had to navigate significant jurisdictional issues alongside the underlying personal injury claim.

The circumstances leading up to the attack

Our client’s case was that the Captain had taken the ship too close to the Somali coast, despite receiving numerous warnings about previous piracy attacks in the area.

It was also our client’s case that the Captain had stood down the piracy watch shortly before the attack took place. The defendants disputed the claim in all respects.

Building the evidence for our client’s claim

The circumstances of the attack meant the case required expertise beyond the medical evidence relating to our client’s injuries.

The parties obtained expert evidence addressing the medical issues as well as specialist maritime and anti-piracy matters. This evidence formed part of a case involving complex questions about both liability and jurisdiction.

Reaching a settlement before trial

The case was ultimately resolved at a joint settlement meeting, six weeks before it was due to go to trial.

A settlement was agreed for our client. The amount remains confidential under a non-disclosure agreement, so we cannot provide further details about its value.

The outcome for our client

This was a complex international personal injury claim involving disputed liability, specialist expert evidence and proceedings across different jurisdictions.

Our specialists were able to bring the case to a successful conclusion and secure a confidential settlement for our client without the matter proceeding to trial.