On the CC board, there is a correction to the Herald Sun article that said there was no attack on the Athena and that, in fact, the 29 boats were a tuna fleet.

However, the question remains why Oceania did not use a naval convoy for its passage like the convoy Seabourn Spirit just used for the same transit. One hopes that Apollo is not so cheap as to not use a military convoy because there might be a fee for the service. Just laying out water hoses and sound blasters is not remotely the same as joining an armed naval convoy. IMO, any cruiseship that transits that area without being part of an armed naval convoy is being grossly irresponsible.