Tag: Gulf of Aden

Two suspicious approach incidents have reportedly occurred within a 24hr period approximately 34nm northwest of Pointe A IRTC (International Recommended Transit Corridor), in the Gulf of Aden. 

The US MARAD issued an advisory on December 14 concerning vessels operating in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean, warning that Yemen remains a risk for commercial vessels.

With the monsoon season over, a large multinational counter piracy operation has been conducted by the Combined Maritime Forces in the Gulf of Aden.

Continued security vigilance is recommended for ships transiting Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, an Indian Ocean.

During the past few years, there has been a singificant fall in piracy and armed robbery incidents off East Africa. However, the threat has not entirely gone away, as recent incidents indicate.

Ships sailing through or operating in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden (GOA) are advised to refer to the Industry Releasable Threat Bulletin (IRTB) issued by Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) and European Union Naval Force (EU NAVFOR), to be informed of an incident that took place in the GOA, in advance of the publication of their next quarterly Industry Releasable Threat Assessment (IRTA). 

The US Maritime Administration launched a MSCI Advisory informing about Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, and Indian Ocean violence due to regional conflict and piracy, highlighting that there's still risks for commercial vessels operating in these areas.

On 20 June 2019, an Ocean Network Express (ONE) operated vessel, the 'NYK Eagle', took part in a combined rescue operation, rescuing 6 crew members from a sinking coastal vessel in the Eastern Gulf of Aden. As ONE informed, 'NYK Eagle' was navigating the ocean when it received a request from CMF to help a small coastal vessel which was sinking, as 'NYK Eagle' was closest to the vessel in question.

While speaking at the last SAFETY4SEA Conference in Cyprus, Mr. Dimitris Maniatis, Chief Commercial Officer, Diaplous Maritime Services, provided a recap of the current maritime security status, focusing on key high risk areas, such as the Indian Ocean region and West African waters. For the Gulf of Guinea, he stressed, Piracy and Maritime Aggression is never ending.

Οn July 5 2011, a small boat with seven armed in the Gulf of Aden drew alongside the 'Brillante Virtuoso', a tanker with 140,000 tonnes of fuel oil. A few hours after the pirates boarded the ship, a fire took place, while the armed men went away and the crew abandoned ship. However, the owners of the ship and the insurers have different stories of what it may have happened, and the London high court will have to decide on the case.