NATO Shipping Centre: Daily Piracy Update

Last updated: Monday 16 January 2012

Recent Activity
A merchant ship was attacked at 0814Z in the Arabian Sea south east of Oman in the vicinity of 1502N 05814E. The vessel is safe. See Alert 007 for details.

Naval Counter Piracy (CP) forces have been successful in disrupting Pirate Attack Groups (PAGs). This may result in the pirates becoming more aggressive in their attempts to hijack merchant ships. Recently, pirates have attempted additional attacks after appearing to abandon the initial attack. Masters are advised to maintain vigilance throughout an encounter until they are well clear of the area.

Current Situation
Despite the recent disruptions, the Gulf of Aden (GOA) and Bab al Mandeb (BAM) are still considered areas of increased threat to merchant shipping. Vessels should proceed with extreme caution through this area.

Guidance
Masters are advised that the threat of piracy against merchant shipping is always present in the High Risk Area (HRA), and are advised to ensure ALL necessary Self Protection Measures are implemented as recommended in Best Management Practices. Prudent and timely application of BMP can make the important difference of being approached, attacked, or being pirated.

If any incident occurs, Masters are requested to report immediately to UKMTO via telephone and provide the details of the incident. This will ensure the information is quickly provided to other ships in the area for their awareness and vigilance. It would be greatly appreciated if Merchant Masters are safely able to take photographs or video during an attack and provide these to the NATO Shipping Centre and UKMTO, as well as the details of the situation. This information will be used to assist the Counter Piracy forces’ ability in combating piracy activities.

NATO Shipping Centre (NSC) press release