Weekly assessment of pirate activity
Overall, piracy activity has increased over the past week compared to the week before. With the diminishing effects of the Monsoon pirates are expected to continue their activity over the coming week spreading into the central and southern Somali Basin.
Gulf of Aden/Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC).
In the past week one attack was noted on 03 March close to Yemeni TTW in the far east of the GoA. Pirate skiffs blending in the local traffic can be expected at any time without or little warning. The main piracy threat remains in the central and eastern part of the GoA/IRTC. Overall, reports of attacks remain below 2010 and 2009 levels.
Arabian Sea/Greater Somali Basin.
During the past week (25Feb-04Mar) piracy activities was again concentrated in the southern and eastern Arabian Sea and has started in the last few days in the southern Somali Basin. MV DOVER has been pirated near the Omani coast on 28 Feb and further 11 attacks as well as nine pirate related incidents were reported during the last week mainly in the Arabian Sea.
Pirates are using dhow mother ships to launch their attack skiffs against any targets of opportunity. A significant number of pirated regional dhows, particularly Iranian flagged Jelbut-type and Yemeni flagged Yemeni-type vessels are currently in pirate possession and regularly being taken out on mother ship operations predominantly in the Arabian Sea. We currently assess that at least seven such vessels are on active operations in the Arabian Sea region reaching into the eastern part of the GoA and more attacks are likely in the coming days.
During the last days three pirate related incidents were reported in the southern Somali Basin. We assess that up to two whaler based Pirate Attack Groups (PAGs) have left the Somali coast and are now operating in the area east of the Seychelles and towards the Mombasa – Dar es Salam approaches.
In addition Somali pirates are known to use the pirated fishing vessels as motherships to extend their range. There is a possibility that two of those vessels are operating towards the central Somali Basin.
Source: NATO Shipping Center