COUNTRY RISK Somalia, Gulf of Guinea and Malay Peninsula Piracy Update September 2018 John Cochrane, Independent Risk Advisor +442082764711 John.Cochrane@ihsmarkit.com
Somalia No piracy incidents were reported in September 2018. Recent incidents follow the hijack of tanker Aris 13 in March - the first successful hijack of a commercially significant vessel since May 2012. There have been three unsuccessful attack attempts in the last three months, all of which targeted merchant vessels. In response to attacks on merchant shipping, the Combined Maritime Forces operating in an anti-piracy role have extended the existing Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC) in the Gulf of Aden into a two- way Maritime Security Transit Corridor (MSTC) into the Red Sea, transiting the Bab al Mandeb Strait and west of the Hanish Islands. This mitigates risks from both piracy and Yemen-based terrorism.
3 Maritime Security Transit Corridor Source: Combined Maritime Forces https://combinedmaritimeforces.com/2017/09/06/guidance -on-maritime-security-transit-corridor/ Combined Maritime Forces have established a Maritime Security Transit Corridor, extending into the Red Sea from the existing Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC) and transiting the Bab al Mandeb Strait and west of the Hanish Islands. All vessels are recommended to use the MSTC to benefit from military presence and surveillance.
Frequency of Successful and Attempted Hijacks Until the hijack of the tanker Aris13 in March 2017, the last successful hijack of a commercially significant vessel was of the Smyrni in May 2012. There were three unsuccessful attack attempts against commercial shipping in the last quarter (as at 24 September 2018).
Successful & Attempted Hijacks by Attack Area The low number of attack attempts in the last year has been mainly spread between sea areas other than the Indian Ocean, where there has been a decline reflecting the pirates reduced operational range. In the last three months, there was an increase in May-August in attack attempts in the Red Sea.
Attack attempts on identified merchant shipping in the past 12 months Date of attack Vessel Type Vessel name Flag State 6 October 2017 Container 17 November 2017 Container 17 November 2017 Fishing Trawler 26 November 2017 Merchant Vessel JAG AMAR MV EVER DYNAMIC Galerna III Caspian Harmony Gross tonnage India 44,127 Panama 52,090 Seychelles 3,445 Hong Kong 22,362 26 November 2017 Tanker MV Brent Marshall Islands 8,539 21 January 2018 Cement Carrier NACC Valbella Panama 5,286 22 February 2018 Tanker Leopard Sun Singapore 29,939 3 June 2018 Supply Vessel VOS THEIA Gibraltar 1,678 The hijack of the Aris 13 was the first successful hijack of a commercially significant vessel since May 2012.
Piracy Activity September 2018 No attack attempts were reported in September (as at 24 September 18).
Piracy Activity July September 2018 In the last quarter, there have been three attack attempts, none of which were successful, since 1 July 2018 (as at 24 September 18).
Gulf of Guinea Piracy Risk Outlook Over the last decade, most piracy in the Gulf of Guinea has been low-level sea robbery, conducted in Nigerian and other territorial waters, and targeting tankers, other cargo vessels, minor support vessels and oil rigs. The main motivation has been theft of ship or personal property and/or kidnapping for ransom. Tankers have also been targeted for oil theft. The last fully successful oil theft was on 5 August 2016, from a berthed tanker at Apapa, Lagos, Nigeria. One piracy incident was recorded in September 2018 (as at 24 September). Pirates kidnapped 12 crew members from the Swiss-flagged and owned MV Glarus, which was in Nigerian waters transporting wheat from Lagos. The Panama-flagged chemical tanker MT Pantelena on 14 August was reported as missing off the coast of Gabon. Subsequently, on 24 August, the Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported the vessel had been recovered in Pointe Noire, Congo-Brazzaville, with 17 Georgian and two Russian crew members safe and unharmed. The captain reported that the vessel had been hijacked by an unspecified number of armed men, who locked the crew in the citadel for nine days. No ransom payment was reported. Outside the Gulf of Guinea, and off Guinea-Conakry, On 17 September, an anchored tanker was boarded by four armed robbers who stole crew property and escaped. A unspecified navy boat arrived at the location to provide assistance. All crew were reported safe. (See slide 14.)
Attacks on identified merchant shipping in the past six months Date Vessel Name Vessel Type Attack type Flag state Gross tonnage 16 March MSC Maria Cargo Vessel Attempt Panama 8,721 7 April DINO Bulk Carrier Robbery Panama 21,192 21 April FWN Rapide Cargo Vessel Kidnap Netherlands 7,767 22 September Glarus Bulk carrier Kidnap Switzerland 27,011 Attacks against four identified commercial vessels were recorded in the past six months (as at 24 Sept 2018).
Piracy Activity September 2018 One piracy incident involving the successful kidnap of crew members was reported this month (as at 24 Sept 18).
Piracy Activity July September 2018 There have been eight reported piracy incidents since the start of July 2018 (as at 24 Sept 2018), including one incident involving the kidnap of crew members and two incidents involving the theft of crews valuables. The remaining five incidents were unsuccessful.
Tanker incidents in the past twelve months In the last 12 months since October 2017, as at 24 Sept 2018, there have been 35 reported incidents involving tankers (all mapped). Three incidents resulted in crew members being kidnapped, and two in the robbery of ship stores and crew property. The remaining 30 attacks were unsuccessful.
Piracy incident off the Guinean coast On 17 September, an anchored tanker was boarded by four armed robbers who fired at the bridge windows and gained access into the accommodation. They stole crew property and escaped. An unspecified navy vessel arrived at the location to provide assistance. All crew were reported safe.
Malay Peninsula Piracy Risk Outlook No piracy incidents were reported in September. Two late reported incidents occurred in May and June, respectively. Both targeted barges and involved the robbery of crew members property; no fuel siphoning was reported. The last successful attack involving oil theft from a tanker, the Joaquim, was in the Malacca Strait on 8 August 2015. On 6 September, 2017, 900 tonnes of diesel were siphoned off a product tanker MGT 1 off northern Malaysia; however, nine suspects were later arrested.
Sea Waters off the Malay Peninsula: Risk Area The risk area (shaded) has been revised to cover Singapore Strait in its entirety and the South China Sea bound at 4 N to the north, 1 N to the south and 106 E to the east. There have been 42 tankers boarded by pirates since August 2013 (as at 24 Sept 2018); 23 of these involved successful oil theft, of which 16 were in the Risk Area. Recent incidents have largely involved the robbery of crews belongings and ships stores.
Malay Peninsula Recent piracy activity targeting tankers The most recent incident occurred on 30 May when an anchored Netherlands-flagged heavy load carrier was boarded by robbers; a search operation was carried out and the padlocks of the paint store and garbage room, oxygen locker, acetylene locker and the bunker station were reported to be damaged.