Merchant Vessel evades Pirate attempted hijack in the Indian Ocean; Mothership operations continue to spread out in the region
In the same day that a pirate attack occurred at the fartherst point reported, off the Iranian coast, on 30 January, a merchant vessel, a livestock carrier underway, was reported coming under attack by 1 skiff with 8 pirates onboard operating
from a nearby mothership in position 0420N 06620E, in the Indian Ocean, around 375NM west of Male Island. Machine guns and RPGs
were fired at the MV, which successfully managed to evade the hijack attempt after the Master raised the alarm, increased speed and ordered the crew to direct searchlights towards the skiff. Although the pirates managed to get alongside the vessel, due to the evasive manoeuvring, they were unsuccessful in boarding the vessel and aborted the attack returning to the mother ship. The starboard lifeboat was damaged by RPGs during the attack. The Pirate action group (PAG) remains
in the area.
Two further reports indicated that mothership operations were being conducted. On 30 January, a PAG was located in position 0921N 06247E consisting of a mothership, and in position 1449N 06443E, consisting of a mothership and at least 1 skiff was sighted. The PAGs are estimated to have been over 640km apart, whilst the attack occurred some 680km from the next nearest PAG.
Vessels are reminded that the coalition forces' warships may not be in the vicinity of a pirate attack, subsequently, it is emphasised that seafarers can greatly
reduce their chances of being pirated if they follow precautions
as recommended in the Best Management Practices, increasing speed and carrying out evasive manoeuvres is a proven deterrent to piracy attacks.Vessels
are advised to exercise extreme caution when navigating in the vicinity
of the reported position of the attack and maintain
maximum CPA with any ship acting suspiciously. Additionally, registration of vessel movement with
MSC(HOA) prior to transiting the region is recommended.
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Any suspicious activity should be reported to UKMTO in Dubai in the first instance (UKMTO@eim.ae or Telephone+971 50 552 3215
) and on entering the UKMTO Voluntary Reporting Area (VRA) bound by Suez,78E and 10S
.
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