If you're on board a cruise ship the last thing you'd want is for the Venezualan navy
to start firing shots at you.
Well actually there's probably a lot of naval forces whose wrath would cause you considerably
more worry than Venezuala's - and this encounter between the Venezualan navy and a cruise ship
is maybe a good indicator as to why this might be the case.
The cruise ship in question was the RCGS Resolute.
You might be wondering how an innocent cruise ship got into a fight with the Venezualan
Navy, but this ship wasn't as innocent as you might think - it has a long history about
as storied as that of a meth-addicted prostitute, including numerous shady dealings and brushes
with the law.
The ship's been around since 1991, but our story really begins in 2007 - with the founding
of a Canadian tour outfittter called One Ocean Expeditions, who offered luxury cruise tours
to the Arctic and Antarctica.
A decade later and One Ocean Expeditions was a well-established name in the industry.
In 2018, they decided to acquire another ship, expanding their fleet from two to three.
In a partnership with the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, One Ocean Expeditions leased the
"Hanseatic" from its Portugeuse registered owners and renamed it the "RCGS Resolute".
Now, if one year I were to expand my fleet of cruise ships from zero to one, I'd say
I'm having a pretty good year, so One Ocean Expeditions must have really been doing great
to get their third one right?
Well, some incidents that year suggest the management was starting to fall apart like
a sandcastle facing high tide.
One of the ships ran aground in the Northwest Passage and another had to cut a cruise short
due to issues with fueling, much to the annoyance of passengers.
In 2019 the Russian owners of these two vessells recalled the lease on them.
One Ocean Expeditions claimed this was in breach of contract although it was later revealed
they hadn't been paying charter and fueling fees.
These would not be the only financial issues to come to light.
Now with only one ship instead of three, One Ocean Expeditions was unable to honor many
already booked expeditions, much to the annoyance of passengers.
This likely caused further financial trouble to a company that seemed like it already might
be struggling behind the scenes.
Just a few months later, at the end of a tour, their only remaining ship, the RCGS Resolute
was arrested in Canada over allegations of unpaid bills to a contractor in Nova Scotia.
Yes, the ship itself was arrested, not the captain or crew, and this was not even the
last time this would happen.
The ship was moving again a few hours later, likely after the bills were paid but the very
next month the ship was arrested in Canada again over unpaid bills and wages.
Four days later the ship was on the move again, but it would see its final expedition the
following month, a 19-day trip from Argentina to Antarctica.
It never left Argentina though, after having trouble obtaining fuel in various ports across
the coast - assumedly they couldn't find anoyone willing to give them a loan of fuel.
The cruise was cancelled, much to the annoyance of passengers.
They were left stranded in Buenos Aires.
Keep in mind these tickets cost tens of thousands of dollars.
The ship was then once again detained in Buenos Aires, with various companies and crew demanding
millions of dollars in unpaid fuel costs, wages and fees.
This meant they had to cancel another three tours, much to the annoyance of passengers.
So they were taking money off passengers without providing the service, and they weren't paying
for fuel or wages - you'd kind of have to wonder where all this money was going.
In January 2020, Once Ocean Expeditions announced it was declaring insolvency.
The Portuguese owners of the ship had to pay 3.6 million dollars to prevent it being sold
at auction in Buenos Aires.
On March 5th the Resolute left Beunos Aires, heading north towards Curaçao. 2020 was obviously
a rough year for the vessel.
You know who else was having a rough year?
Venezuela.
The country was experiencing a humanitarian emergency due to economic collapse and shortage
of food.
Not to mention the ongoing political instability with a power struggle over disputed leadership.
The same month the Resolute left Beunos Aires, the Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was
indicted by the US Department of Justice, who accused him of involvement in drug trafficking
operations.
It's the first time a sitting head of state of a foreign country was charged with drug
trafficking in the United States.
As the Resolute passed around Venezuela, it cut the power so the crew could perform maintainence.
The ship was flying a Portugeuse flag and carrying 32 crew and no passengers, and although
it was in international waters when maintainence began, it started to drift towards Venezuelan
territory, alerting navy patrol boat Naiguatá.
The Venezuelans were very suspicious of the Resolute, and have gone on to claim it was
possibly being used to disguise covert operations against the country during its ongoing turmoil
- perhaps secretly ferrying mercenaries into the country.
The US Navy had a not insignificant presence in the Caribbean Sea, and with heightening
tensions between the two countries, Venezuela was was not too happy to see this strange
ship off their coast.
The Naiguatá radioed the Resolute questioning their intentions.
Not satisfied with the response, they ordered the cruise ship to follow them to a nearby
port to be boarded for inspection.
The crew of the Resolute were not too keen on this idea, but while they contacted their
company's head office, sailors on the Naiguatá fired warning shots at the vessel.
What happened next is disputed.
The Resolute claims the Naiguatá rammed them, trying to force the ship to turn in the direction
of the port.
The Naiguatá claims they were trying to sail infront of the Resolute to cut it off when
the Resolute rammed them.
Whatever the case, the two ships made contact.
The Venezuelans on board the armed patrol boat probably thought the Resolute was in
for it now, but they didn't know the Resolute's bulbous bow was specifically reinforced to
smash through ice.
The Resolute received only superficial damage.
The Naiguatá started to take on water and sink, much to the annoyance of passengers.
Once again this next bit is disputed.
The Venezuelans accused the Resolute of breaking international regulations by leaving the 44
Navy sailors to their fate.
The Resolute claims it stayed at the scene for over an hour, while contacting the local
Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre, who eventually relayed a statement from the Venezuelan authorities
that the ship's assistance was no longer required and it should continue on its journey to avoid
problems with the Navy.
Regardless of the true series of events, the Resolute crew were totally unhurt, and the
Naiguatá crew were all saved by another Venezuelan ship.
The Naiguatá itself was beyond saving, and the ship sank completely.
A few months later the Resolute was sold in Curaçao to cover the owners' near $4 million
dollar debt.
The ship reportedly sold for $600,000.
So they spent 3.6 million to stop it going to auction in Argentina, putting them in financial
trouble, then sold it for just 600,000 a few months later anyway.
I'd say that was a massive waste of time and money but they did get to sink a navy ship
so I suppose it just depends on what you value in life.
As far as I'm aware, no one was ever legally punished for the incident, and the Resolute
was acquired in 2021 by another cruise company and renamed the Heritage Adventurer.
So yes, you can still enjoy a cruise on this ship today.
Given its history, you probably won't have to worry about it sinking, but you might want
to bring your own fuel.
Well, if you have the money for such a cruise, may I interest you in patronising me?
That is, to pay patronage, not to talk down to me, I get quite enough of that as it is.
If you liked the video, I have plenty more for you to enjoy, and you can subscribe to
see a new one every week.
If I get enough support maybe I'll buy my own cruise ship and we can enjoy some brewskies
on the blue seas with some floozies on the cruiseys.
Alright then, bye.