Since the beginning of March 2017 we have witnessed 7 piracy events in the Gulf of Aden. According to the[ds_preview] International Maritime Bureau’s Piracy Reporting Centre, 3 vessels were hijacked, one was boarded and 4 have been fired upon. The High Risk Area, which never was peaceful, is presently attracting a lot more attention than it has during recent years.
Although many of the incidents and approaches have occurred in the Gulf of Aden, it is difficult to ascertain with certainty the origin and intention of the current spate of piracy in this region. The political infrastructure is too fragile in and around the GoA incl. the conflict in Yemen.
Today, important considerations for operating in this area are:
• Know your risk and do your homework – the situation in the high risks area is changing constantly. A good risk management should include a PTRA – Pre Transit Risk Assessment, including vessel Particulars, voyage details, Weather and Sea state, route analyses etc. Naturally you can always use specialised sources to receive the latest intelligence and to track past events on the planned route
• A communication matrix should be available to all of the participating stakeholders including PCASPS Team Leader, Captain, operations, nearest shore Agent, etc.
• Today Privately Contracted Armed Security Personnel (PCASPs) are operational on most voyages in the Gulf of Aden. The decrease in demand over the last few years has also seen the standard and quality of the employed PCASPs fall.
• In line with the IMO MSC.1/Circ.1405/Rev.2, the shipping company is obliged to carry out a risk assessment, this they can either do themselves or subcontract to a third party. Most of the companies are subcontracting the risk assessment to the charterer of the vessel and have no control over this process. The process of risk management is to include Individual PCASP evaluation and vetting, In-depth and ongoing checks on PMSC Insurance Cover, making sure that no illegal weapons are on board the vessel and exercising due diligence with regards to the armed guards
• BMP4 (Best Management Practices) is a valuable guide. It is the ship owners obligation to make sure that masters and crew are familiar with BMP4 and that they have all necessary equipment for self protection measures on board, the citadel should always be stocked and frequent crew drills should be carried out, masters should be aware of all communication channels and intelligence information must be continuously updated on board.
Thomas Cockburn, Nadav Goldenberg, MRQ
