28 April – 5 May 2011
During the reporting period (28 April – 05 May 11) and compared to previous weeks, overall piracy activity slightly increased. In total, one MV was successfully pirated off the Kenyan coast.
Additionally, there were two attacks in the Somali Basin East of 65 E, one approach off the coast of Oman, as well as two suspicious incidents in the Arabian Sea and one in the GOA respectively. Although two dhows have been successfully disrupted shortly after having left their anchorage, two dhows, one whaler PAG and the FV Jih Chun Tsai have been located by patrol aircraft underway on probable mother ship operations.
Consequently it is now assessed that two dhow PAG are operating in the Arabian Sea one in the area between 17 and 23 degrees N and 57 and 63 degrees E and the second between 10 to 15 N and 65 to 70 E. Jih Chun Tsai, in company with Jelbut 33 remains in the area 5 to 10N and 50 to 55E on changing courses and giving no indication of their operational intentions.
Jelbut 32 currently located in the area 0 to 5N and 50 to 55E on an easterly heading, might very well change course to the north at any time. Based on the activities in the south, it is assessed that at least one dhow and another unknown PAG is operational in the southern Somali Basin southwest of the Seychelles.
Gulf of Aden/Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC)
Though pirate activities were limited to one suspicious activity in central GOA during the last week, we continue to assess that the IRTC continues to be a high threat area. The judgment that pirate skiffs may blend into the local traffic and commence an attack at any time without any warning remains valid.
Arabian Sea/Greater Somali Basin
Clearly limited to one successful pirating, one attack, one approach and two suspicious activities, SP activities in the area never ceased completely and the Arabian Sea in particular remains to be an area of priority. Consequently, the overall threat assessment for this area remains high.
According to movements seen on previous occasions, it cannot be excluded that the dhow PAG (Jelbut 32) in the Central Somali Basin and Jelbut 33/Jih Chun Tsai in the northern Somali Basin respectively change to a northerly heading towards the Arabian Sea.
The activities in the southern Somali Basin, southwest of the Seychelles off the coast of Kenya/Tanzania and towards the Mozambique Channel, will be affected by increasingly unfavourable weather conditions and terminated in due course.
Apart from the obvious activities, there are still a significant number of pirated regional dhows, particularly Iranian flagged Jelbut-type and Yemeni flagged Yemeni-type vessels in pirate possession able to continue to pose a potential threat when taken out unnoticed on mother ship operations, predominantly in the Arabian Sea.
Source: NATO Shipping Centre
