Container ship evades pirate attack in the Arabian Sea, 99nm from the position of the hijack of Rosalia D'Amato; the third attack in 24-hours.A Pirate Action Group consisting of a mothership and 1 skiff was observed operating in the Northern Arabian Sea, today. Only 99nm from the position of the hijack of the Italian bulk carrier, Rosalia D'Amato, which occurred April 21. This was the third attack in the last 24-hours. The two earlier attacks occurred in the Somali Basin.
April 24 at 0600 UTC, in position 1213N - 06024E, approximately 345nm east of Socotra Island, a container ship was reported coming under attack by a skiff. A mothership was observed in the vicinity. The Master of the vessel raised the alarm and initiated an increase in speed to manoeuvre away from the mothership and skiff. Further anti-piracy measures were activated, and the vessel was able to out-run the skiff. An armed security detachment was on board, however, no shots were fired in this situation. The attack occurred only 99nm from the position of the hijack of MV Rosalia D'Amato and not too distant from position of the failed attempt to hijack MV Hanjin Tianjin.
Also reported today, a merchant vessel which came under attack at 1500 UTC, in position 0657S – 04540E, in the Somali Basin, approximately 207nm Southwest of an attack at 0300 UTC (see below), by 2 pirate skiffs managed to evade the hijack attempt.
The previous attack carried out today, at 0300 UTC, in position 0411S - 04745N, in the Somali Basin approximately 485nm east by south-east of Mombasa, 2 pirate skiffs (painted silver) attacked a chemical tanker. A mothership dhow was sighted in the vicinity as the skiffs, one with 5 pirates onboard, the other difficult to determine how many were onboard due to the skiff approaching with the sun directly behind, fired weapons at the vessel. The Master raised the alarm and all, except 3 duty crew on the bridge, mustered in the citadel. At a distance of 0.5nm, the embarked security team fired 4 warning shots at the skiffs, which continued to fire at the vessel prior to aborting the attack. The vessel, crew and security team are reported to be safe. See OCEANUSLive report.
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 it they follow precautions as recommended in the Best Management Practices, increasing speed and carrying out evasive manoeuvres is a proven deterrent to piracy attacks. The use of a CITADEL DOES NOT guarantee a military response. Before owners, operators and masters commit to a policy that recommends the use of a citadel, it is important to understand the criteria that military forces will apply before a boarding to free the ship can be considered.
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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