Piracy

Piracy Archive 2000-2005 - Archive of reports sent to noonsite by cruisers between 2000 and 2005, relating to piracy, attempted piracy and security around the world.

Piracy Reports 2006 - Reports of attacks or suspicious incidents from around the world.

Piracy Reports 2007 - Reports of attacks or suspicious incidents from around the world.

Piracy Reports 2008 - Reports of attacks or suspicious incidents from around the world.

Piracy Reports 2009 - Latest reports of attacks or suspicious incidents from around the world.

Piracy Reports 2010 - Reports of attacks or suspicious incidents in 2010 from around the world.

Piracy Reports 2011 - Latest reports of attacks or suspicious incidents from around the world.

Piracy Reports 2012 - Latest reports of attacks or suspicious incidents from around the world.

Self-defence and Deterring Attacks - Articles and personal opinions on these issues.

General

Use the above buttons to review the past years of worldwide security incident reports from cruisers. This is not intended to be an all encompassing list of all crimes against yachts in the World, however, may be an indication of your relative safety in a particular country and need for extra precautions. It is ALWAYS prudent to lock the yacht when you leave for a trip to shore or a visit to another yacht, to lock the outboard to the dinghy or to the rail of the yacht, and to lock the dinghy to the yacht (raised out of the water) or to a dinghy dock. In addition to reporting an incident to noonsite, it is also important to report to the local authorities. Only if they know what is happening in their jurisdictions can they take steps to stop the activity and to apprehend the criminals.

No other danger has marred the beauty of cruising more than the threat of piracy, whether on the high seas or in coastal waters. Indeed it is a risk that mariners have had to confront for many thousands of years, and continue to do so in certain areas of the world today. The good news is that as far as attacks on pleasure boats are concerned - piracy incidents in recent years have been mercifully few in numbers and restricted predominantly to the Gulf of Aden region. The situation is very different when it comes to big ships, which have seen a steady increase in piracy incidents in recent years.

Unfortunately the maritime authorities are more concerned with attacks on commercial shipping and do not regard attacks on pleasure craft as a high priority, or even to be their responsibility. This is reflected in the absence of hard information about attacks on yachts on most internet sites dealing with piracy.

JULY 2011: Piracy attacks continue in the Gulf of Aden, Northern Indian Ocean and the Southern Red Sea, collectively the IGOARS. The ISAF guidelines, published in co-operation with the MSCHOA (Maritime Security Centre – Horn of Africa) set up by EU NAVFOR (EU naval force), continue to strongly advise yachts to avoid the area. There is much practical advice in these guidelines, presented in a question and answer format and supported with charts and diagrams to demonstrate the extent of the area in which pirates are now operating. They also include co-ordinates for the Internationally Recognised Transit Corridor (IRTC) and a Yacht Passage Advice Form.

If, despite the risks, you decide to ignore the advice not to transit, MSCHOA (see below) strongly encourages yachts to register in advance (with the Yacht Passage Advice Form) and to report daily during the passage.

If under attack or suspected attack immediately telephone (do not email) UKMTO +971 50 552 3215 with your position.

It is important to note that naval forces are limited and prime protection is given to commercial ships. The volume of commercial shipping in the region means that even a large convoy of yachts is not assured of protection.

The following contacts are for piracy-related organisations and websites worldwide.

MARLO: Gulf of Aden recommended transit corridors (Maritime Liaison Office) (USN) Bahrain Tel:+973 3940 1395 http://www.cusnc.navy.mil/marlo/index.htm, marlo.bahrain@me.navy.mil US flagged vessels transiting the GOA may wish to contact MARLO who keep a 24 hour watch. Communication should preferably be by email and should include full contact details for the yacht and identification features for the vessel, crew and skipper. Consult their website for latest co-ordinates for the IRTC.

Maritime Security Centre Horn of Africa (MSCHOA) Tel:+44 (0) 1923 958 545, Fax:+44 (0) 1923 958 520 (24 hr watch) http://www.mschoa.org/, postmaster@mschoa.org Offers best management practice for vessel self protection as well as group transit information in the Gulf of Aden. MSCHOA liaises with anti-piracy patrols being conducted by warships from several nations in the area. Go to the "links" section for information about all the organisations that are involved with the Transit Corridor and the "pirate alley" area. MSCHOA keep a register of all yachts transiting the GOA. Complete the yacht registration form available on the website and return to MSCHOA or email with full contact details for the yacht and identification features for the vessel, crew and skipper.

UKMTO (UK Maritime Trade Organization) (RN) Dubai Tel:+971-50-552-3215, Fax:+971 4 309 4254 ukmto@eim.ae UKMTO Dubai coordinates the management of all merchant ship and yachts in the GOA area. They also administer the Voluntary Reporting Scheme. If transiting the GOA it is recommended yachts position keep with the UKMTO on a daily basis and advise her plans with as much notice as possible and provide the information set out in their Yacht Vessel Movement Form, preferably by email but alternatively by telephone. In the event of a pirate attack, call the above number.

[Show additional 11 entries for this category]

Convoys

Noonsite launched a new forum for convoys and cruising in company in July 2010 - go here to access the forum. Remember when posting a message to include location and direction in the title (if a convoy, ie: north or south bound). It is also useful to include in your forum posting yacht details, average speed under sail and motor, details of crew, proposed route and dates, present location and a contact email address.

There are a number of convoy related articles linked to this forum, as well as being listed below under "reports".

South East Asia Convoys
Richard H. Donaldson-Alves, net controller of the daily South East Asia Radio Net, will act as a point of contact and broadcast a daily security report as well as a weather forecast for the yachts sailing through the area concerned.
Richard Donaldson-Alves, Net Controller. Maritime Mobile Net, SE Asia, 14,323Mhz @ 0025hrs.Zulu daily and WX @ 0055hrs.Zulu daily. For more information go here.

Gulf of Aden Convoys
Yachtsmen contemplating making the passage through the Gulf of Aden and forming a convoy, are now advised by ISAF of the following (reflecting the situation as of June 2011); "While ISAF recognises that the final decision on whether to enter any area where pirates operate and how to conduct a vessel in those waters remains entirely the responsibility of the master of each vessel, the current advice from the military is simple: Do not sail in the western Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea, Somali Basin and Gulf of Aden. ISAF robustly endorses this position. It considers that sailing in these waters is highly irresponsible and strongly urges all yacht skippers intent on sailing anywhere in the area to reconsider the necessity of their plans and to seek an alternative."

Tom Sampson, who organised a 27 boat convoy in January 2010 through GOA, comments; "Since 2010 the situation has changed dramatically and has been duly recognised by the latest information published by ISAF for yachts considering sailing in the Indian Ocean and Red Sea. Whilst the large convoy concept may have been considered a valid option in 2010 I no longer believe that it is so now.
Read more from Tom here

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