VO70s to be shipped for sections of the next two legs
The Volvo Ocean Race’s anti-piracy plan will see the fleet transported by an armed heavy lift ship from an undisclosed Safe Haven Port in the Indian Ocean and resume racing from a set-down point along the Sharjah coastline in the northern Emirates, within a day’s sailing of the Leg 2 finish in Abu Dhabi.
Back in August it was announced that the route for Legs 2 and 3 would be re-drawn because of the threat of piracy in the Indian Ocean. With the fleet set to depart Cape Town for the start of Leg 2 on Sunday, Race Director Jack Lloyd has made parts of the plan public for the first time.
The six boats will leave Cape Town as scheduled on Sunday, 11 December and continue to be tracked as normal until they reach a point in the Indian Ocean. From there, details about the boats’ location will be switched off to the public as they sail on to a Safe Haven Port. At that port, the boats will be loaded on to a ship protected by armed guards and featuring other security measures and transported to the northern Emirates. The sailors will not travel on the ship.
Once unloaded, Race Management will decide where exactly to re-start the race for a short competitive sprint into Abu Dhabi, which is hosting the event from 31 December to 14 January.
The scoring system has been modified, so that 80% of the points for Leg 2 are based on the race between Cape Town and Safe Haven 1 and 20% for the short sprint into Abu Dhabi. For Leg 3, the operation will be reversed, with a short sprint from Abu Dhabi at the start of the leg. The boats will go back on a ship and be transported again to another Safe Haven Port. From there, they will sail on as normal to the Leg 3 finish in Sanya, China.
Race Director Jack Lloyd said: “It is unfortunate that we have to take these measures, but we have followed professional advice every step of the way. It is still very much a race around the world and we believe we have found a fair points system that will help make it an exciting sprint into Abu Dhabi.
“The teams all understand the situation and have given us their full support.”
Lloyd and Volvo Ocean Race CEO, Knut Frostad have worked closely with Dryad Maritime Intelligence plus government agencies including European Union Naval Force Somalia (EUNAVFOR), UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) and the Maritime Security Centre, Horn of Africa (MSCHOA) as well as the sport’s governing body, ISAF.
Frostad said safety had always been the highest priority in getting the teams through the areas worst affected by piracy: “Piracy is a threat to the entire race and the measures we are taking are designed to keep the sailors, the shore crew and the boats as safe as possible, while preserving the competitive nature of the race. This solution means we still have the exciting race finish into Abu Dhabi as always planned, while steering clear of the most dangerous waters off the Eastern African corridor.”
Piracy is a well-organised and highly lucrative business and it has expanded into a vast area off the coast of Somalia. According to figures from Dryad Maritime Intelligence, 1,181 seafarers were kidnapped by pirates in 2010.
Dryad’s Graeme Gibbon Brooks said pirate operations in the eastern part of the Indian Ocean had been significantly restricted. “This factor as well as very careful planning has reduced the probability of an encounter to as low as reasonably possible,” he said. “But while the probability is small, the impact of an attack when it happens is extremely high.”
What are the measures being taken for Legs 2 and 3?
To minimise the threat of piracy, the Volvo Ocean Race has introduced strict security measures. The first is an exclusion zone that will keep the boats from sailing into dangerous waters. The second measure will see the boats sail to an undisclosed Safe Haven Port and be loaded on to a ship that will transport them to the northern Emirates, following the safest possible route. From there, the boats will sail on to Abu Dhabi in a short sprint. For Leg 3, the procedure will be reversed. The boats will sprint out from Abu Dhabi and be loaded onto a ship heading to a Safe Haven Port. From there, the boats will sail as normal to the Leg 3 finish in Sanya, China.
Will the tracker still display information about the boats?
Full information will only be made public up to a certain point. Once the boats have reached that point, the tracker will only show Distance to Leader information. That way, the public will still know the running order of the boats but not their exact locations. The procedure will be similar for Leg 3.
Why is the race going to Abu Dhabi?
The Volvo Ocean Race is a global event and that obviously includes the Middle East. There are multiple risks involved with sailing around the world and that includes piracy. In all of these risks we have done our best to minimise any unnecessary dangers and in this case we have followed the best possible professional advice from the leading experts globally in this field. Abu Dhabi is not the problem — the piracy issue affects the other side of the Indian Ocean.
Source: The Daily Sail
