Practical Guidance

The Maritime Security Centre (Horn of Africa) - MSCHOA - is advising vessels to maintain a distance of more than 600 nautical miles from the coastline. Vessels navigating in the Indian Ocean should consider keeping East of 60E when routing North/South and to consider routing East of 60E and South of 10S when proceeding to and from ports in South Africa, Tanzania and Kenya.  Pirates have extended their activity beyond the East Coast of Somalia and GoA to the Indican Ocean, Bab el Mandaib Straits, Southern Red Sea and East Coast of Oman.

MSCHOA also continues to advise that vessels navigating in the region should operate at a heightened state of readiness, maintaining strict 24 hour anti-piracy visual and radar watches, actively implement recommended anti-piracy measures.

MSCHOA has also reported that naval units have observed an increase in ships navigating during the hours of darkness with their navigation lights switched off and issued a reminder to  masters of the need to comply with the International Collision Regulations which require navigation lights to be displayed from sunset until sunrise  This practice clearly increases the risk of collision and there is no evidence to suggest that vessels displaying navigation lights are more likely to be targeted by pirates. Insurance cover may also be prejudiced.

Advance Planning

The majority of attacks fail. The chances of a successful hijacking are reduced by thorough contingency planning and crew training. The statistical chances of capture are greatly reduced by adherence to BMP (Best Management Practices), although no ships are immune. The Ship Security Plan required under the ISPS Code must include a section on piracy. Shipowners should also make sure that their Masters and crews are properly prepared and supported.

The "Best Management Practices to Deter Piracy in the Gulf of Aden and off the Coast of Somalia” are a result of close co-operation between naval forces and industry and contain invaluable advice and information for shipowners and crew. BMP are reviewed and updated on a regular basis.

Up to date important information is available from these websites:

• Maritime Security Centre Horn of Africa (MSCHOA) www.mschoa.eu
   
• International Maritime Bureau  www.icc-ccs.org

For additional sources of information, see Materials and Links.

Shipowners are also strongly urged to ensure that before their ships transit the Gulf of Aden or coast of Somalia, they make sure that they:

• register on the MSCHOA website www.mschoa.eu or by e-mail to
   
• join the Voluntary Reporting Scheme administered by UK Maritime Trade Operations by contacting UKMTO Dubai by e-mail  or telephone +97 1505523215.
   
  [The scheme involves vessels sending daily reports, providing their position and ETA at their next port whilst transiting the region bound by Suez, 78°E and 5°S. UKMTO then tracks vessels and the positional information is passed to CMF and EU headquarters. Emerging and relevant information affecting commercial traffic can then be passed directly to ships improving responsiveness to any incident and saving time.]
   
• report any suspicious activity to UKMTO Dubai, MSCHOA or IMB Piracy Reporting Centre (,  or +60 320310014)
   
• monitor www.mschoa.eu and www.icc-ccs.org for alerts
   
• keep to the Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC) in GoA
   
• consider joining a Group Transit (schedules and further details on www.mschoa.eu), particularly in the case of vulnerable vessels.

If a vessel is captured, it will probably be necessary to engage experienced consultants to handle the negotiations. Costs can be substantial and may be covered by additional insurance. Depending on the media environment of owners’ domicile, it may be worth instructing media consultants.

After an attack, ensure that proper support is provided to the crew.

If a vessel is captured or crew welfare is involved, early and sensitive notification to families is essential and owners should remain in regular contact throughout the detention. Crew must also receive proper care and support on their release. Owners should not count on practical support being provided by naval forces following release.