Growing Somali piracy zone - east to India, south to Madagascar

7:01 PM Mon 29 Mar 2010 GMT

'Pirate danger zone expands - east to India, south to Madagascar. Map by Gordon Smith naval-history.net' .

The forces now patrolling the Gulf of Aden have been unquestionably effective, as evidenced in the decrease in the number of ships held for ransom.

However, the wide ranging piracy emanating from Somalia has recently dramatically increased in range, taking up almost half the Indian Ocean(east to India, south to Madagascar) and also increased in force, causing the International Sailing Federation to issue a new statement and Guidelines for the benefit of cruising sailors: .

Warnings of an expected increase in pirate attacks in the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden were given by Royal Navy sources at a briefing in London last week. A spokesman stated that the number of vessels currently being held by pirates pending ransom negotiations stood at six, roughly half the level experienced over the past year and new targets were likely to be sought.

The spokesman further warned that pirates are now ranging ever further across the Somali Basin. 'We cannot rule out the possibility of attacks occurring as far east as the coast of India and as far south as Madagascar' he said.

In response to these warnings the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) has updated and re-issued its guidelines to yachts contemplating making a passage through the Gulf of Aden and the Somali Basin. A single-sheet summary of the guidelines has been sent to marina managers, Port Captains and ships' Agents in all the places frequented by long-distance sailors with a request that it be displayed prominently and, where possible, copied and given out to visiting yachts.

'We are determined to do all we can to inform the long-distance sailing community of the very real risks passages in these waters entail' said Alan Green, chairman of the ISAF International Regulations Commission, 'and to make sure that skippers and crews are aware of the advice of the naval authorities who co-ordinate warship operations in the area'.

Full details of the anti-piracy guidelines

Danger of Piracy - Guidelines for yachts considering a passage through the Gulf of Aden, Yemeni and Somali waters including the NW Indian Ocean north of 15o south and west of 78o east.

These notes are published in co-operation with the MSCHOA (Maritime Security Centre - Horn of Africa) set up by EU NAVFOR ATALANTA and UKMTO. The notes are for guidance only and a final decision on whether to enter the Gulf of Aden or any waters where pirates operate and how to conduct a vessel in those waters remains entirely the responsibility of the master of each vessel. All vessels entering the area do so at their own risk.

1 The danger of piracy and consequent loss of life and property in the
GoA (Gulf of Aden), Yemeni and the Somali waters (up to 750 miles
offshore), is high. Yachts are strongly recommended to avoid the area.
See advice from the UK FCO (Foreign and Commonwealth Office) at
www.fco.gov.uk/ and the Noonsite web site
www.noonsite.com/General/Piracy . Piracy has also occurred in the
adjoining areas of the Indian Ocean north of 10o south and west of 78o east
and you should take appropriate self protections when in this area.

2 MSCHOA liaises with anti-piracy patrols being conducted by warships from
several nations in the area and UKMTO Dubai coordinates the management
of all merchant ship and yachts in the area. The patrols operate mainly in the
Gulf of Aden and the Somali Basin but may operate anywhere within the area
and will provide surveillance and support as far as possible to yachts however
no guarantee whatever can be offered as to the safe transit of any yacht
through these waters, and no dedicated escort can be expected.

3 A yacht which, despite the risks described decides to make a passage
should advise her plans with as much notice as possible* to UKMTO Dubai
and provide the information set out in the attached Yacht Vessel Movement
Form, preferably by email but alternatively by telephone:-
. UKMTO (UK Maritime Trade Organization) (RN) Dubai ukmto@eim.ae
+971 50 552 3215; Telex (51) 210473 (24 hour watch)
US-flagged vessels may wish to contact MARLO (Maritime Liaison Office)
(USN) Bahrain marlo.bahrain@me.navy.mil +973 3940 1395 (24 hour watch)
A vessel considering entering the area is recommended to carry UK Admiralty
Anti-Piracy Planning Chart - Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea -
Q6099.

3.1 If under attack a 'mayday' call should be made using VHF or HF DSC, VHF
16 or VHF 8, Sat-C or any other means, please contact UKMTO by telephone
and pass your last known position.

*Yachts are urged to register at least two weeks before entering a high risk area.
Yachts coming south through the Red Sea should report well before reaching Bab al
Mandeb and should register before reaching Safaga/Jeddah.

3.2 When a yacht registers its movements UKMTO will pass details to
patrolling warships and will regularly send to the yacht piracy alerts by email.

3.3 During her passage a yacht should monitor VHF 16 and VHF 8 and report
by the means and at the intervals advised by UKMTO, or by a patrolling
warship.

4 Merchant ships transiting the GoA are being advised to use an
Internationally Recognised Transit Corridor (IRTC) in order for warship patrols
to be effective. UKMTO advises yachts to remain close to or within the IRTC
as follows:

4.1 The IRTC has two lanes, each 5NM wide and a separation zone between
them 2NM wide. To all intents and purposes it operates as a Traffic
Separation Scheme (TSS) although formally it does not have that status. The
co-ordinates of the IRTC lanes are:
Westbound lane, northern boundary: 12 00N 45 00E 14 30N 53 00E
southern boundary: 11 55N 45 00E 14 25N 53 00E
Eastbound lane, northern boundary: 11 53N 45 00E 14 23N 53 00E
southern boundary: 11 48N 45 00E 14 18N 5300E
The course eastbound is 072?T and westbound 252?T.

4.2 A yacht which has registered her intention to transit the GoA is invited to
sail EITHER in the 2-mile-wide buffer zone between the two lanes OR close to
the outer limit of the appropriate lane. These options give the best chance of
a yacht's transmission on VHF16 or VHF 8 being received by a patrolling
warship, or being relayed by a merchant vessel. However VHF contact is not
guaranteed.

4.3 A yacht coming from for example Aden eastbound or Salalah westbound
may join the IRTC some way from its start point. The area of the IRTC
between 47E and 49E is considered the most dangerous and a yacht should
ensure she has joined well before the "high risk area" to enjoy the maximum
possible protection. The yacht should plan to conduct as much of this part of
the passage as possible at night. In the interests of navigation safety, on
joining the IRTC mid way along its length a yacht should act as if joining a
Traffic Separation Scheme.

5 It has long been common practice for yachts intending to transit the GoA to
form small informal convoys in either Djibouti, Aden or Salalah. It is
emphasized that this is a decision for individual skippers but the military forces
support this concept. If the convoy approach is to be followed it is suggested
that there is a limit of no more than five vessels in any one convoy. This is
because vessels will need to keep close to one another if they are to offer any
protection through numbers, and close station-keeping for the duration of the
voyage through the GoA may prove a strain particularly if short-handed.

6 Carriage of arms is not advised. There is a serious risk of escalation of the
levels of violence.

7 AIS, Communications, Radar, EPIRBs etc.
Current advice to ships (which are required to carry AIS class A) is to have it
transmitting limited information whilst transiting the Gulf of Aden, restricted to
ship's identity, position, course, speed, navigational status and safety related
information. Most AIS class B transponders (commonly carried by yachts) can
only transmit limited information and are not configurable by the user. Current
naval advice to yachts is to leave it switched on in the Gulf of Aden so that the
warships know where they are. Navigation lights are to be illuminated at night
or periods of low visibility and should not be turned off because of a perceived
threat.

In the Somali Basin or further afield where there are fewer warships an AIS
transponder should be switched off unless the yacht is either aware of military
forces in their vicinity, or is under attack.

Use of AIS should be verified when possible through contact with MSCHOA
for the latest advice.

A 406 EPIRB or PLB will quickly draw attention to you but remember these
are emergency devices intended specifically for saving life. An SART will
show a signal on any nearby marine radar which may include that of pirates.
It is legitimate to call "mayday" if under attack (VHF or HF DSC, VHF 16 or 8,
Sat-C or any other means). For an early warning call discreet use of a satellite
phone to one of the numbers in para 3 above may be the best option. When
in transit a radar transceiver should be used in the normal way. A radar target
enhancer (RTE) provides an apparently large echo and should be switched off
unless there is danger of collision. The possibility of an HF communications
facility for yachts in the region is under discussion.

8 Preparations. Ensure that all systems (in particular the engine) are in good
shape, radios and satphones are working properly, that you have plenty of
fuel and the ship's batteries are in good shape. Be prepared to motor or
motor-sail at your maximum speed for the entire transit of the IRTC. Carry
additional supplies (particularly water purification, medical supplies and
vitamin supplements) in the event that you are unfortunate enough to be
pirated.

8.1 split up money into different caches
-keep electronic copies of your passport etc.on yahoo- or google-type accounts
with spurious names - if your original papers are lost you can access the
copies from any police station or internet cafe
consider carrying only copies (not originals) of essential documents on the
boat
-consider having two passports (a legitimate exercise for eg business
travellers)
-wear a cheap watch
-have an old mobile phone
-keep only old (out of date) credit cards in your wallet
-(if ashore) wear only such clothing that you can afford to lose
before entering a dangerous area study FCO advice on conduct if you are
taken hostage
-advise your next of kin if you are going into a dangerous area so they are
prepared to deal with matters if the worst happens - they should know in
advance which authorities to talk to, etc.

9 Pirates operate from very small craft, which limits their operation to
moderate weather conditions. While no statistics exist, it is likely to be difficult
to operate these small craft in sea states 3 and above though operation in
higher sea states cannot be ruled out. Pirates are less likely to launch attacks
in the dark and merchant ships try to pass through the area between 47E and
49E in the IRTC during the hours of darkness for this reason. Even during
the day, the typical pirate's visual horizon is less than five miles; he will see a
merchantman long before he sees a yacht.

10 In a typical pirate attack small high speed (up to 25knot) open boats
deploy from a mother ship, often a pirated fishing vessel or dhow. Commonly
two or more of these small high speed open boats are used in attacks, often
approaching from either quarter of the intended target. Be aware that
perfectly legitimate tuna fishermen often employ similar tactics when chasing
fish. It can be very hard to differentiate between a genuine fisherman and a
prospective pirate; in general, the crew of a fishing boat will have 'all eyes'
trained on their elusive target; in a pirate boat, the 'gunmen' may remain
hidden.

11 Despite the odds being uneven, it is worth making a risk assessment in
advance of a transit and making sure everyone on board (including new crew)
has thought through and agreed how they will respond. Guidance on what to
do in the event of an attack is at para 13. Thorough mental preparation is
essential - think through all the scenarios. Continuous vigilance and an early
call to the authorities if in doubt, is recommended as the arrival of military
units (by sea or air) or a VHF call to a warship (even if you cannot see a
warship) may cause an impending attack to be called off. If you can delay the
pirates from boarding by even 15 minutes, it may give the warships time to
react. The time between first sighting a pirate and the commencement of an
attack could be as little as 5 minutes. When making a routine call on VHF, do
not give your posn in Lat and Long, unless you are absolutely certain that the
warship is close enough to be able to assist you, or you are making a May
Day call. The risk is that in reporting what turns out to be a false alarm, you
could alert other skiffs of your position and excite their interest in you.

12 Under Attack. A vessel is recommended to:
make a mayday call
report immediately to UKMTO Dubai by telephone if possible on +971 50
552 3215 - please make sure you know your position . If possible, the call
to UKMTO Dubai should be followed by a call to MSCHOA, and MARLO
Bahrain (who focus on US-flagged vessels).

13 Pirates on Board
-Stay calm - attackers are likely to be excitable and nervous - you will think
more clearly and your conduct may also calm them - do not make sudden
movements
-Stay together as far as it is practicable to do so
-Offer no resistance
-Cooperate with the pirates
-Do Not Use firearms, even if available - the risk of escalation is significant.
-Do Not use flash photography, which may be mistaken for muzzle flashes by
the pirates or by any military force sent to assist
-Do Not use flares or other pyrotechnics as weapons against pirates.
-In the event that military personnel take action on board the vessel, unless
otherwise directed all crew members should keep low to the deck, cover their
head with both hands (always ensuring that both hands are empty and
visible).
-Be prepared to answer questions on identity and status as military
personnel will need to differentiate quickly between crew and pirates.

14 Follow-up Reports should be sent to MSCHOA who will advise on
information needed.

ISAF acknowledges with appreciation assistance in preparing these
guidelines, from MSCHOA, UKMTO, and Peter Cooke of PWJC Global
Consulting Ltd. (+44 7966 361951).

Further ISAF information regarding piracy guidelines can be found at: www.sailing.org/piracy

Information on the anti-piracy operations may be found at: www.mschoa.eu

Information about ISAF may be found at: www.sailing.org

by Dick Moore, ISAF