For reporting period from 23 May to 30 May 2013
The NATO Shipping Centre has issued its Weekly Piracy Report for period 23-30 May 2013.
The NATO Shipping Centre (NSC) continues to work closely with both industry and militaryorganizations in order to provide accuratereporting on piracy activity throughout theregion. During the last week there weremore reports of suspiciousapproaches however there were nopositively identified pirate attacks.
In discussions with other reporting agencies, there have been several recent cases wherevessels have not reported suspicious activity or suspected piracy in accordance with the recommended procedures inthe Best Management Practices 4 (BMP4). It is requestedthat vessels transiting through the region follow the BMP4 reporting procedures in order to ensure that the NSC, UKMTO andMSC HOAcan providereporting on allevents of concern.
As identified last week,with theonset of the SW Monsoon season there is increased fishing activity in the Gulf of Aden along the southern coastline of Yemen, and this has created a condition for additional interaction betweenfishing boats and merchants transiting in close proximity to the traditional seasonal fishing areas.Be advised that it is normal for dhows to act as larger supply vessels and a central repository forregular fishing activity and regularlyhave a number ofsmall boats/skiffs conducting associated fishing activity in the vicinity of these boats.
It is recognized that such activity looks very similar to pirate action and it may be difficult to differentiate between legitimate fishing and potential pirate activity, however there are currently no known dhows operating as a “Pirate Mother Ship” within the Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea or Somali Basin.
Standing Guidance
Regional Considerations:
Masters are advised to remain vigilant at all times in transitorat anchorage and fully implement protection measures, as set down in BMP4, across the entire High Risk Area (HRA).
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.
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.
Fishing vessels may approach a merchant ship to maximize fishing opportunities or to safeguard fishing nets and fishermen may carry small arms. It is not uncommon for fishing vessels to follow merchant and large vessels in order to capitalise on the often increased numbers of fish in the resultant wake. Please note that, if the NATO Shipping Centre assesses an approach or incident to be piracy-related, we will issue relevant warnings.
Weather:
Southwest monsoon conditions are starting to influence the operating areas, with the exception of the GOA. Winds and seas continue to increase in all areas as the Southwest Monsoon continues to establish over the next week.
Piracy Threat:
The threat of piracy against merchant shipping continues throughout the entire HRA. 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.
Pirate Tactics:
Pirate Attack Groups (PAGs) have made “soft-approaches” on merchant ships transiting the HRA. A skiff will often approach a vessel to probe the reactivity of its embarked security team, if present. If they elicit no response, the pirates may then proceed with an attack, sometimes accompanied by a second skiff. This practice seems designed to allow pirates to avoid needless expenditures of ammunition and personal risk without a significant probability of success.
Continued Vigilance and the use of BMP:
It is imperative that merchant vessels remain vigilant at all times in transit and/or at anchorage and fully implement protection measures set down in BMP4 across the whole High Risk Area (HRA) as it 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 & Incident 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.
Source: NATO Shipping Centre
