During the reporting period of 22 – 29 January 2013 there
were no piracy related incidents in the High Risk Area (HRA), NATO
Shipping Centre informed in its Weekly Piracy Update.Merchant vessels are reminded to remain vigilant while transiting
this area and ensure that Self Protection Measures are in place as
Pirate Attack Groups (PAGs) may be operating in the area. Although sea
states in some parts of the HRA have become more marginal with the onset of the Northeast Monsoon season, small boats are still able to operate.During the past few months there have been continued reports
concerning suspicious activity in the HRA. Fishing activity is expected
to continue in this area. Fishermen may carry small arms. Masters are
reminded to remain vigilant in order to distinguish between fishing
vessels and potential pirates.Counter Piracy GuidanceContinued threat: The threat of piracy against
merchant shipping continues throughout the entire HRA. Despite the
deterioration in conditions associated with the Northeast Monsoon
season, sea states remain conducive to piracy operations. Successful
disruptions by naval forces over the past few months, in conjunction
with masters’ adherence and implementation of BMP4, have significantly
reduced the pirates’ ability to capture vessels. However, pirates are
able to act far off the coast of Somalia and are likely in search of
vessels of opportunity, such as those who are not employing BMP4
recommended Ship Protection Measures.Need for continued vigilance and use of BMP:
Merchant vessels are advised to remain vigilant throughout the HRA and
ensure that Self Protection Measures are implemented as recommended in
BMP4. Prudent and timely implementation of all recommended actions and
ship hardening measures in BMP4 can make the critical difference of
being approached, attacked, or pirated. NSC would like to remind masters that BMP4 highly recommends maintaining best possible vessel speed when transiting the HRA to deter pirate boardings.Registration and reporting: As per Section 5 of
BMP4, early registration with MSCHOA before entering the HRA and initial and regular reporting to UKMTO are highly recommended to ensure
military authorities are aware of a vessel’s passage and
vulnerabilities.Reporting of incidents: It has been observed that
some Masters are choosing to phone their Company Security Officer (CSO)
first in the event of a piracy incident. However, one of the fundamental requirements of BMP4 is that UKMTO is the primary point of contact for
merchant vessels during piracy incidents in the HRA. This aims to avoid
unnecessary delay and prevent inaccurate or incomplete information from
reaching military commanders. CSOs should ensure their ships’ security
plans reinforce the BMP4 recommendation that UKMTO be immediately
telephoned at +971 50 55 23215 in the event of any piracy activity.
UKMTO will then make it a priority to contact the CSO with any
information received whilst ensuring the relevant information reaches
the military commanders without delay. Masters should provide as much
accurate information as possible. This will ensure the incident can be
fully assessed and information is quickly provided to other ships in the area for their awareness and vigilance.Pirate Tactics: Recently, PAGs have made
“soft-approaches” on merchant ships transiting the HRA. A skiff will
often approach a vessel in order to probe the reactivity of an embarked
security team, if present. If no response, the pirates may proceed with
an attack, sometimes accompanied by a second skiff. This practice is
likely more economical as pirates avoid needless expenditures of
resources, such as ammunition, and personal risk without a significant
probability of success.Other activity: There have been a number of
incidents reported to Counter Piracy organisations in the HRA involving
small craft approaches to merchant vessels. Although these incidents may appear to be piracy related, the majority actually are not and have
been assessed as non-piracy related activity common to the pattern of
life in the area. This can include fishing, small vessel trade,
smuggling and other local traffic. Please note that, if the NATO
Shipping Centre assesses an approach or incident to be piracy, it will
issue relevant warnings and alerts, keeping the merchant shipping
community fully informed at all times.Sailing vessels: Sailing yachts should avoid
transiting the HRA. Past activity has shown that pirates will attack
both large and small yachts passing their way. Despite the fact that
attacks on merchant vessels appear to have decreased, the possibility of attacks and the successful pirating of sailing vessels remains likely
due to their vulnerability and the reduction of revenue sources from
pirated merchant vessels.
PIRACY
01 February 2013 - 19:20
NATO Shipping Centre: Weekly Piracy Update
During the reporting period of 22 – 29 January 2013 there were no piracy related incidents in the High Risk Area (HRA)
PIRACY
01 February 2013 - 19:20
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