anti piracy measures

BMP West Africa: New guidance to deter piracy issued

Amid a complex and dynamic maritime security situation in West Africa, a new publication provides Best Management Practices to Deter Piracy and Enhance Maritime Security off the Coast of West Africa (BMP- West Africa) including the Gulf of Guinea.

This aims to help ships plan their voyage and detect, avoid, delay and report attacks, thus mitigating the risk from piracy and armed robbery.

The publication highlights, among others, the need of a Vessel Hardening Plan, which  can ensure vessels are...

https://safety4sea.com/bmp-west-africa-new-guidance-to-deter-piracy-issued/

Pirates kidnap seven crew from container vessel in Gulf of Guinea

Dryad Global Maritime Security reported a piracy incident in the Gulf of Guinea, where seven crew members have been kidnapped.

Specifically, the 2015-built, 957-teu MSC Talia F, that was carrying 17 seafarers, is believed to have been en-route from Lome, Togo to Port Libreville, Gabon at the time of the pirates’ boarding.

According to reports, the vessel had a crew of 17 all understood to be Ukrainian nationals.

Reporting indicates that the Portuguese-flagged container vessel MSC Talia F was...

https://safety4sea.com/pirates-kidnap-seven-crew-from-container-vessel-in-gulf-of-guinea/

Bay of Bengal can achieve sustainable maritime security by setting priorities, report says

Stable Seas published a new report examining the maritime security and governance in the Bay of Bengal across nine issue areas including the blue economy, coastal welfare, rule of law, piracy and armed robbery, illicit trades, maritime mixed migration, fisheries, maritime enforcement capacity, and international cooperation.

Specifically, the report focuses on the progress that has been made across the issues stated above, as well as the challenges that remain to sustainable maritime security in...

https://safety4sea.com/bay-of-bengal-can-achieve-sustainable-maritime-security-by-setting-priorities-report-says/

EU NAVFOR requests image or video taken during an incident, if possible

Ships sailing through or operating in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden (GOA) are advised to refer to the Industry Releasable Threat Bulletin (IRTB) issued by Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) and European Union Naval Force (EU NAVFOR), to be informed of an incident that took place in the GOA, in advance of the publication of their next quarterly Industry Releasable Threat Assessment (IRTA).

Specifically, on March 3, 2020, a vessel was approached at speed by three skiffs. In the beginning, warning...

https://safety4sea.com/eu-navfor-requests-image-or-video-taken-during-an-incident-if-possible/

US MARAD: All suspicious events in GoG to be reported to USCG

The US Maritime Administration issued an updated advisory concerning piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, which will be implemented from January 14, 2020 to July 12, 2020.

The US MARAD reported 129 incidents of piracy and armed robbery at sea that occurred in the GoG region in 2019. Although this is an 11% decrease from 2018, kidnappings are still occurring with the latest on March 6, 2020, when pirates attacked the Greek-flagged chemical tanker Minerva Virgo in the Gulf of Guinea.

In 2019 there were 33...

https://safety4sea.com/us-marad-all-suspicious-events-in-gog-to-be-reported-to-uscg/

West Africa piracy updates

The Standard Club is focusing on the rise of piracy and armed robbery attacks off West Africa in the timeframe between 2019 to 2020, and collaborates with several local lawyers and correspondents in the area receiving various guidance.

In its most recent piracy report, the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) highlighted that West Africa and particularly Gulf of Guinea have experienced a record high in piracy incidents, as the number of crew kidnapped in the Gulf of Guinea increased more than 50%...

https://safety4sea.com/west-africa-piracy-updates/

Port of Cotonou issues new armed guard requirements

Following increased piracy incidents in Africa, the port of Cotonou announced new arrival procedures and measures to protect the shipping industry, providing ten measures against acts of piracy so that the crewmembers onboard and the vessel are fully protected.

Specifically, the port issued ten measures:

  1. Any vessel calling at the port of Cotonou or staying at the anchorage must appoint a maritime agent.
  2. The maritime agent must inform of a vessel’s call at least 48 hours prior to arrival.
  3. If the...

https://safety4sea.com/port-of-cotonou-issues-new-armed-guard-requirements/

Do you know what a Ship Security Alert System is?

Although piracy follows a downward trend in the last decade, the threat of sailing in high risk areas still poses a psychological burden for crews. After the 9/11 attacks that changed the world, IMO requires every ship above 500 GT sailing the world’s oceans to have a Ship Security Alert System (SSAS) to enhance security. Have you ever wondered what this system is and how it works?

https://safety4sea.com/cm-do-you-know-what-a-ship-security-alert-system-is/

Pirates fire upon containership off Nigeria

Another piracy incident was reported in Nigeria, as a group of armed men fired upon a containership, located about 19 nautical miles South West of Bayelsa on January 21, Tuesday.

Specifically, the piracy incident has been reported by the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre, which noted that about 15 armed people on a speedboat chased the vessel, prior to opening fire upon the ship.

In sight of the pirates, the crew raised the alarm and the non-essential crew hided in the vessel’s citadel.

The piracy...

https://safety4sea.com/pirates-fire-upon-containership-off-nigeria/

5 crew from “Happy Lady” released

The five Greek crew members that were abducted from the Greek-flagged “Happy Lady” tanker from Limboh port in Cameroon have been released. The attack had taken place in the end of December.

Currently, the released crew are in a hospital in Cameroon, while they are expected to return to Greece soon.

The attack took place on December 31, at Limboh port in Cameroon. The attackers managed to kidnap 8 crewmembers out of which 5 of Greek nationality, two Filipinos and one Ukrainian.

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https://safety4sea.com/5-crew-from-happy-lady-released/

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