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1/10
Piracy Situation Risk Assessment, November 2014, Issue 31
Highlights of the Past Month:
Last month has seen increasing level of piracy related incidents. On Indian Ocean region
at least 9 suspicious cases were officially reported. The authorities are also concerned on
the rise of the suspicious approaches in Gulf of Oman. West Africa has had significant
rise of violence and kidnapping near Bayelsa State, Nigeria. At least 6 attacks, some with
fatalities, have been reported. South China Sea region counted at least 23 incidents,
including another large scale oil cargo theft near Malaysia.
The suspicious approaches in Gulf of Aden and Southern Red Sea are following the
similar pattern as in previous months. No attempt of attacks have been reported but the
crew has sighted weapons and ladders in some cases. After warnings it becomes common
that the skiffs with potential pirates still follow the vessel, possibly to assess the
seriousness of the protection.
On October 8, the product tanker Sri
Kandi 515 left Sampit, Kalimantan,
Indonesia laden with 3,100-tonne palm
oil cargo. The vessel was en route to Gresik, East Java, but it did not show up as
scheduled. Two weeks later, on Oct 24 Malaysian fishermen picked up tanker’s crew of
11 on floating in life raft and took them to Chendering, Malaysia. According to their
story, on October 9, their vessel was hijacked by pirates. The eyes of the 11 men were
blindfolded, they were taken in captivity and were locked for 13 days. After almost a
forthright, the pirates disembarked the Sri Kandi 515's crew on a life raft (or boat) with
water and food supplies. Their vessel disappeared, search is ongoing.
Aburgus comment: This is likely that the tanker was pirated for the next cargo thefts from
larger tankers as the trend is looming now in the region.
Al-Qaeda chiefs have called on militants to destroy tankers bound for the west by
ramming them with boats laden with explosives or by hijacking the ships and running
them aground. An attack would cause "phenomenal" reaction around the world and help
ramp up oil prices, shipping rates and maritime insurance as well as military spending.
British oil workers in the Middle East are also legitimate targets according to the new Al
Qaeda magazine, Resurgence, released last week.
Ebola shows no signs of downsizing. It would be wrong to believe that crews and vessels
not travelling to the infected countries are safe from possible infection. The World Health
Organization is pointing out that it is possible that fleeing migrants may be infected with
Ebola and as the disease continues to spread with cases currently doubling every 20 days,
the number of people fleeing West Africa is massively increasing and the danger level
similarly. Therefore ship operators need to be aware of an increased risk of stowaways
and a higher probability of ships encountering fleeing migrants if/when crews’ are forced
to engage in search and rescue at sea around West and also North Africa.
2/10
Latest major incidents:
INDIAN OCEAN, RED SEA, PERSIAN GULF
GULF OF ADEN: 28 Oct 14 – 12 37N, 047
25E - a vessel reported being approached by x
3 skiffs and a larger vessel suspected as being a
mother-ship. The embarked Armed Security
Team fired flares and warning shots, the skiffs
fell back and headed west.
BAB EL MANDEB: 27 Oct 14 – 12 36.80N, 043 19.30E – a vessel reported being approached
to within 0.5nm by x 2 skiffs with x 5/6 POB. The embarked Armed Security Team raised
weapons and the skiffs aborted their approach. The same vessel in position 12 27.7N, 043 36.8E
later reported being approached by x 1 skiff with x 6 POB to within 2.2nm.
INDIAN OCEAN: 25 Oct 14 – 22 22N, 065
55E – a vessel sent out an SSAS distress having
been approached by x 2 skiffs closing to within
8 cables. The vessel conducted evasive
maneuvers until the skiffs were at a distance of
6nm.
GULF OF OMAN: On 19 Oct 14 - 24 30N,
056 52E at 1237 UTC a vessel in posn 24 30N,
056 52E reported being approached by x 14
skiffs each with approx. 2 – 4 POB coming to
within 0.2nm. There were no confirmed
sightings of weapons/ladders nor fishing gear.
The vessel carried out evasive maneuvering,
the pursuit lasting for 20 minutes, the skiffs
breaking off after the on-board Armed Security
Team fired warning shots. Vessel and crew are
safe. (UKMTO)
3/10
GULF OF ADEN: On 15 October, at 10:50 UTC, a merchant vessel was approached by a
suspicious dark blue hull colored skiff with four persons onboard, near position 12:41N –
048:40E, approximately 90 nm northwest of Bosaso, Somalia. The closest point of approach was
0.9 nm. A ladder with hook was sighted, but no weapons. At a distance of 3.5nm the embarked
Armed Security Team displayed their weapons. At 2nm the vessel’s horn was sounded. At 1.5nm
four warning shots were fired. These measures had no effect on the skiff’s course and speed. At
a distance of under 1 nm two further warning shots were fired. At this point the skiff altered
course and steered to the stern of the vessel. The skiff then continued toward Somalia on a course
of 151. (NGA Maritime Safety, NATO Shipping Centre, UKMTO)
GULF OF ADEN: On 15 October, at 1510
UTC, a motor yacht reported a suspicious
approach by one skiff near position 13:33N –
050:27E, approximately 90 nm southwest of Al
Mukalla, Yemen. The skiff approached the
yacht to within 500 meters. Weapons and
ladders were reportedly sighted. Armed
embarked security team fired warning shots.
The skiff dropped back to 2 nm, but continued
to follow the vessel before departing the area.
(NATO Shipping Centre)
BAB EL MANDEB: 8 Oct 14 - 12 32 8N 043
25.8E at 1454 UTC a vessel reported being
approached, initially to 1nm, by a black skiff, 7
metres long carrying x 6 POB with no ladders
or weapons visible. The embarked Armed
Security Team fired warning shots, which did
not alter the skiff’s course or speed. At ranges
of 0.5 and 0.4 nm the AST again fired warning
shots. The skiff then changed course away from
the vessel. (UKMTO)
RED SEA: 4 Oct 14 - 16 02N 041 22.4E at
0530 UTC a vessel reported being
approached at speed to within 2 cables. The
skiff was carrying x 4 POB and the Master
reportedly sighted a long-barreled weapon.
After approximately 20 minutes the skiff
withdrew to around 2nm. The embarked
Armed Security Team monitored the skiff but
took no further action. (UKMTO)
4/10
WEST AFRICA
NIGERIA: On 26 October, pirates attacked an oil servicing company boat, MV GRACELAND,
kidnapping the ship’s captain. The attack occurred in the Nembe-Brass Waterway near an area
called Juju Fish Town. (All Africa Global Media)
NIGERIA: On 24 October, pirates attacked a police gunboat escorting a work barge in the
Nembe waterway, stealing the gunboat and kidnapping four persons, three policemen and a
civilian boat operator. The kidnapped persons were later murdered by the pirates and their bodies
left for local authorities to find. The pirates took the rifles and uniforms of the policemen. (All
Africa Global Media)
NIGERIA: On 24 October, pirates attacked a boat in the Nembe River belonging to a local oil
servicing company, kidnapping six persons. (All Africa Global Media)
NIGERIA: On 13 October, a gun battle between Nigerian Joint Task Force and suspected pirates
left one soldier dead and another injured. The attack occurred along the Ogbia-Brass route of the
Nembe waterway of Bayelsa State. The soldiers were apparently traveling to duty areas near oil
facilities in the Nembe area and ran into an ongoing robbery by suspected pirates on another boat.
Eyewitnesses said the pirates abandoned their robbery victims and opened fire on the commercial
boat carrying the soldiers. (AllAfrica.com, Vanguard)
NIGERIA: On 11 October, gunmen attacked a passenger boat near Kiberi-Bio, on the Ogbia-
Nembe-Brass waterways in Bayelsa East Senatorial District. Press reports indicate that the
gunmen seized two women and two children, as well as valuables and cash before departing the
area. (www.saharareporters.com)
SOUTHEAST ASIA
BANGLADESH: On 24 October, twelve
robbers in two boats approached an anchored
bulk carrier near position 22:15N – 091:43E,
Chittagong Anchorage. Three robbers armed
with long knives boarded the ship using hooks
attached with ropes. They took hostage three
shore watchmen, tied them up and threatened
them with long knives. The duty crewman on
routine rounds noticed the robbers trying to
break into the forecastle store room and raised
the alarm. Crew mustered, Port Control, Coast
Guard and vessels in the vicinity informed.
Upon hearing the alarm and seeing the crew response, the robbers jumped overboard and escaped
with stolen ship's properties. A Coast Guard patrol boat was dispatched to the location and
apprehended one boat and its occupants. (IMB)
5/10
VIETNAM: On 21 October, four small boats
approached a drifting container ship near
position 10:09N – 107:06E, 10 nm south of
Vung Tau. Two boats approached the stern and
persons in the boats asked duty crew men if they
had any scrap items available. As the crew was
distracted, the other two boats approached the
port side and five robbers armed with knives
boarded the vessel. Duty crewman spotted the
robbers and raised the alarm. At that point, the
robbers jumped overboard without stealing
anything. Local authorities notified. (IMB)
MALAYSIA: On 21 October, pirates armed
with knives and guns hijacked an underway
product tanker near position 01:48N – 104:31E,
24 nm east-southeast of Tg Sedili Besar. The
pirates took hostage the crew and had the
Master anchor the vessel. The pirates damaged
deck machinery and asked what the ship’s
cargo consisted of. Realizing the cargo was not
what they expected, the pirates stole ship’s cash
and crew valuables and departed the tanker.
Crew managed to repair deck equipment to
raise the anchor and get underway. A local Naval patrol boat dispatched to search the area. No
injuries to crew reported. (IMB)
BANGLADESH: On 15 October, two robbers boarded an anchored bulk carrier near position
21:46N – 091:47E, Chittagong Lightering Anchorage. Duty crewman on routine rounds saw the
robbers, who threatened then attacked him. Duty crewman notified Duty Officer who raised the
alarm. The robbers escaped with some of the ship’s provisions. The duty crewman suffered minor
head wounds from the attack. Local Coast Guard force and other vessel at anchor notified of the
boarding. (IMB)
VIETNAM: On 11 October, three robbers boarded a moored bulk carrier near position 10:43N
- 106:46E, Mooring Buoys, Ho Chi Minh City. During routine rounds duty cadet noticed the
paint storeroom’s lock missing. Upon approaching the storeroom the cadet was confronted by
three robbers and taken hostage. When he did not respond to calls from the bridge the duty officer
sent a duty crewman to investigate. The cadet was found lying on the deck with a bag over his
head and his hands tied up. Alarm raised and all crew mustered. The robbers had already escaped
with stolen ship’s stores. The cadet suffered injuries due to being beaten. (IMB)
6/10
MALAYSIA: On 09 October, pirates hijacked the 3,200-dwt SRI KANDI 515 which was en
route from Gresik from Kalimantan with 3,100 tons of palm oil. The vessel left on 8 October,
but by 17 October it had not reached its destination. The captain and 10 crewmembers aged
between 24 and 45 were later picked up by Malaysian fishermen safe and well after having been
dumped into lifeboats by the hijackers. They had been held captive for 13 days. The ship owner
was reportedly heading to Malaysia to bring the men back. The vessel has not been located.
(Tradewinds)
INDONESIA: On 2 October, the Vietnam-
flagged oil tanker SUNRISE 689 went missing
and is presumed to have been hijacked soon
after leaving Singapore. The SUNRISE 689
was carrying a cargo of 5,226 tons of oil
products and a crew of 18. The ship was
released on 9 October and was safely escorted
into Vietnamese waters where authorities
began an investigation into the incident. The
product tanker's captain informed the maritime
authorities that armed people with knives and guns boarded his ship and siphoned the gas oil
from Sunrise 689 to their ship. The armed men damaged the communication equipment of the
tanker ship and two crew members were slightly injured. (gCaptain, NASDAQ.com, Bloomberg,
Vessel Finder)
BANGLADESH: On 27 September, four robbers armed with knives boarded an anchored
product tanker using hooks attached to ropes near position 21:51N – 091:48E, Chittagong
Anchorage. They took hostage a duty crewman who was on routine rounds, seized his radio, and
stole ship’s stores. The duty crew managed to escape with cuts on his hands and raise the alarm.
The crew mustered and sounded the fog horn. Seeing the crew response, the robbers fled with
the stolen items. Coast guard and port control were informed. (IMB)
INDONESIA: 25.09.2014: 0530 LT: Posn:
01:24.21N – 104:35.46E, Around 10nm North
of Bintan Island, Indonesia. Ten robbers armed
with guns, machetes and long knives
approached an anchored bunkering tanker.
Seven robbers boarded the tanker, took hostage
all crew members, tied them up, ransacked
crew cabins and stole their personal
belongings. They also stole the ships safety
deposit box and ship’s properties before
escaping with their accomplices waiting in
their boat.
7/10
Summary and recommendations:
The activity of suspicious skiffs around Southern Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Oman
and Somali coast will likely continue and possible attack against any not clearly protected
vessel is likely. The advice is to keep the security guards on vessels and make well use
of the visible deterrence measures according to the BMP4. If there is no easy access to be
spotted the pirates will not go for it.
Tankers are at serious and growing risk of attacks and theft of cargo on South China Sea
region. The model of this organized crime syndicate(s) has developed for some time now
and the inability of local law enforcement to counter them will likely increase they thirst.
The pirates are operating a fleet of smaller and possibly medium size tankers, so be extra
careful if spotting such vessels. In case of encountering other tankers it is advised to make
radio contact and try to get the identification to determine if the vessel is safe or pirated.
In case of any suspicion immediately boost up your defenses and actions according to
BMP4 and report your observations to the closest authorities.
Terror attacks threat in Northern African coasts from Strait of Gibraltar to Suez Canal
(included) is likely on the rise. The self-proclaimed Islamic State and Al Qaeda will use
any mean possible to harm the West’s economy. Therefore the deadly attacks against the
commercial vessels and also travelling Western seafarers are real risks. The advice is to
enforce the BMP4 protocol before the risk area, pass the choke points as fast as possible,
keep your crew alert and water cannons ready to counter any possible small craft reaching
the vessel as it may contain explosives. Plan your route as far as possible from Morocco
and Libya coasts as those countries have the rising problem with terrorist movements.
Although the risk of getting infected to Ebola on vessels is rather small it is still smart to
apply the protection protocol and supply the vessels with the basic protective items (see
the next page). For more sophisticated approach please see the IMO Circular Letter No.
3484. It is also highly advised to avoid any crew change via infected countries. First, it
will put into risk the same people and also the whole crew in case of joining crew. Second,
the seafarers may get banned to enter for some time (usually 21 days) to many other
countries in the region once their travel documents show the recent travel to the countries
of risk (see the Live Map link provided on the next page).
Sources: ICC, NATO, ONI, NGA, UKMTO, Oceanus Live, Shipping Position, Maritime Bulletin,
Marsecreview, Reuters, CNN, BBC, NYT, Al Jazeera, All Africa, cCaptain, Hellenic Shipping
News, Want China Times, DefenceWeb, New Straits Times, Sahara Reporters, IHS Maritime,
Maritime Security Asia, Handy Shipping Guide, International Business Times etc.
We wish you safe voyages!
Follow Aburgus Risk Assessments and other risk related alerts/news/research:
Aburgus Aburgus Risk Management @AburgusRM Aburgus RM Aburgus
Or visit our webpage www.aburgus.com for our provided services to assist you:
8/10
Advice to protect your crew against Ebola threat
Keep tracking the Ebola cases on the live map: http://healthmap.org/ebola
It is highly advised to supply the vessels operating anywhere near Africa
with the following basic items:
Alcohol Hand Rub to sterilize hands in case of possible contact with anyone in risk area
Rubber gloves to avoid direct contact in case of handling captured stowaways etc.
Filtering face masks to protect from the possible virus from exhalation of suspected
infected person
Protective goggles to protect the eyes against possible spitting or spray of cough etc.
9/10
Aburgus
Aburgus is Estonian (EU) veterans owned Risk
Management Company designed to mitigate and
solve the security related issues that our clients may
face in today’s unstable environments.
Aburgus’ trademarks are quick response to client’s
needs, highest adoptability and discipline in tasks
plus flexibility in solutions. This experience forms
the highest quality one can expect. We do understand
the complexity of problems, being that crew’s
hesitations or logistics on land. However, we always
find solutions that will assure the best result. Simply
said, Aburgus fulfils the promises and delivers the
results as expected and agreed.
Our services include:
- Risk assessments, counselling and training of
crews to mitigate the risks
- Protection of vessels with armed teams
including enhancement of BMP4
- Fast, precise and flexible solutions to the
client’s needs in security
Why we are better than many others?
First, Estonians are known by innovativeness,
Nordic type calmness, decisiveness and
dedication to the mission in hand. We never quit
on the task no matter how impossible it may
seem. Our peoples’ motto is that there are no
problems, only challenges.
Second, we truly do take care of your physical
security since the first guard steps on board until
the last one steps off. Our eyes are on the target
24/7 no matter if it is a risk area or loading time
in seemingly safe port. We do build up your
defenses and drill your crew for the worst case
scenarios so they can survive the best. We never give up.
We take care! Yours sincerely,
Rene Toomse, CEO
Certificates and recognitions:
10/10
Testimonials of Aburgus Clients
I was very impressed with their security expertise, professionalism, and flexibility during a
challenging transit. Their previous combat experience, excellent English communication skills,
and sharp uniformed appearance make them outstanding maritime security professionals.
CDR US Navy
During guard duty they were always professional and vigilant. All ship's staff felt safe and
confident regarding security team procedures in dealing with one or two cases of suspicious
situations during the voyage. In my observations, compared with other security companies,
Aburgus OU security guards are at a better level. Master and in behalf of the whole ship's staff
would like Aburgus OU security guards to have onboard again in future transit to HRA.
Captain Jimmy
The armguard displayed their professionalism, vigilance and exemplary service onboard. They
lead by setting examples and have shown enthusiasm as officers and gentlemen. They are
excellent instructors on their field nevertheless they are masters of their profession. We
recommend fully, without any reservations, the Aburgus armguards to any vessels of our fleet in
future transit of HRA either in GOA or in West Africa.
Captain Danilo
The team's professionalism and quality operational service round-the-clock has been very good.
Documents were properly provided and level of regulatory compliance has been shown to
conform to the required attributes. Communication between crew and security group has been
effective and notably good.
Captain Adrian
My strongest personal recommendation for ABURGUS security force. I have had the pleasure of
observing their performance at sea and it has been nothing short of impressive. During our time
at sea, ABURGUS security detachment's approach to security and safety of ship and personnel
was both impressive and consistent. I found there personnel to be extremely knowledgeable and
experienced on all things security related. Please accept my highest possible reference for this
outstanding, professional, and experienced security team. I strongly recommended ABURGUS
for future service.
CDR US Navy
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