DMAIB safety report unveils that security measures did not prevent pirates
The Danish Maritime Accident Investigation Board (DMAIB) has issued Safety Report regarding the pirate attack on MV LEOPARD on January 12, 2011 which was attacked by Somali pirates appr. 200 nautical miles southeast of the coast of Oman.
When the pirates had taken control of the ship and the crew, they tried in vain to tow the LEOPARD to the Somali coast. Later in the evening, the crew were transferred to the pirates’ mother ship as hostages.
The ship as such was not captured, but had to be left in open sea, due to a defect in the propulsion system that the pirates had inadvertently caused during the attempted capture.
The Danish Maritime Accident Investigation Board has investigated the safety aspects of the anti-piracy measuresimplemented by the shipowner, the operator and various crews in connection with the passage of the Gulf of Aden.
During a number of years, the shipowner, the operator, and the various crews hadimplemented a number of measures meeting the recommendations that later became international. However, these measures did not prevent the pirates from boarding the ship.
The Danish Maritime Accident Investigation Board has noted that anti-piracy measures may have an inappropriate impact on the preparation and use of ships’ life-saving appliances.
CONCLUSIONS
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After analysis of the events, the report concludes the following: The attack on MV LEOPARD and the subsequent abduction of the crew on 12 January 20111 was carried out by Somali pirates who had the equipment and will to capture the ship. The pirates succeeded in boarding the ship and abducting the ship’s crew despite the extensive anti-piracy measure implemented on the basis of the experiences gained by the crew, the operator, the ship owner and the international recommendations. The ship was not captured and had to be left in the open sea due to damage to the ship’s propulsion system that the pirates had inadvertenly caused during the attempt to seize the ship. The recommendations of the BMP3 were unclear as regards the use of unarmed guards, and leftthis issue to the shipowner’s assessment. The BMP3 dissuaded the use of armed guards. At thetime of the attack, it was under Danish law only in extraordinary circumstances that permits wereissued by the authorities to have armed guards on board Danish ships It was decided to disembark the guards in Salalah. It is not possible to explain why this decisionwas taken without understanding the operational and social aspects. The master’s motive was that,because the guards were unarmed, he and the rest of the crew did not find that they contributedconsiderably to the ship’s safety. This perception may have been reinforced by the fact that theirpresence on board created social tensions among some crew members. It is uncertain whether the guards’ presence would have prevented an attack and a comparisonwith previous episodes would be comparable to the situation on board the LEOPARD becausethey differ in decisive ways. The Danish Maritime Accident Investigation Board has found that some of the measures launchedaffected the use of the ship’s life-saving appliances, but it had no effect on the events on the 12January 2011. This problem may also be found on other ships. In general, most merchant shipshave not been designed to resist attacks by pirates, and the introduction of anti-piracy measuresmay have an effect on the designed functioning of life-saving appliances. In this connection, it isimportant to notice that in emergencies unexpected events and complex circumstances may occurwhere it is not always possible to foresee the effect of anti-piracy measures on the functioning oflife-saving appliances. Therefore, seemingly simple solutions, such as the fitting of wire cuttersetc., may turn out to be insufficient in complex emergencies where the crew will have to improvise. |
PREVENTIVE MEASURES
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Following the attack on the MV LEOPARD, the shipowner and the operator have implemented a number of preventive measures. In March 2011, t he Ministry of Justice decided that Danish ships could, following a specific application on the basis of the general assessment of the threat, be permitted to use civilian, armed guards in the area off the Horn of Africa. On June 13, 2012, the Danish Parliament (Folketinget) adopted an amendment of the arms act, which entered into force on June 30,2012. This ensures that shipowners can, faster and in a more flexible manner, acquire a general permit to use armed guards on board Danish cargo ships in areas presenting a risk of piracy and armed robbery against ships. |
For more information, please click at below image to download the DMAIB Safety Report on MV LEOPARD
