Merchant Vessel evades pirate attack of the North-east coast of Madagascar
On 19 February in the early morning, a merchant vessel was reported as coming under attack by pirates in position 1133S 05045E, approximately 90nm off the north east coast of Madagascar. The vessel came under fire from the pirates using small arms. A mothership was reportedly in the vicinity, however, the vessel managed to evade the hijack attempt.This attack took place near to the position where a Taiwanese fishing vessel, FV SHIUH FU No.1, with a crew of 26 was hijacked on 25 December 2010, which was 120nm east of Nosy Ankao, Madagascar. The Pirate Action Group remains in the area.
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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