Gulf of Aden threat rises as pirate skiffs close on Aurora tanker
Resurgent gangs target another vessel in the maritime security transit corridor – Tradewinds
Tradewinds today (Feb. 25th) posted an article citing two incidents reported by MSCHOA/UKMTO over the weekend, both involving suspicious approaches in the Gulf of Aden. While we do not have access to the article, we do have the incident reports, which are as follows:
On Feb. 20th, a merchant vessel reported a suspicious approach by three skiffs at 1824 UTC in the vicinity of the IRTC, SE of Al Mukalla, Yemen. The skiffs approached to within 1nm. No piracy equipment was reportedly sighted in this incident.
On Feb. 22nd, UKMTO state that another merchant vessel reported a suspicious approach by 11 skiffs with 4-5 persons on board, near Djibouti at the western end of the Gulf of Aden. Ladders were reportedly sighted in the skiffs and the vessel’s armed security team fired warning shots to deter any further approach. Both vessels are now described as safe.
Although piracy in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean has diminished, the threat still remains and MAST advises shipping companies to adhere to BMP 5 guidance and liaise with UKMTO when transiting the region.
EU NAVFOR teams approach suspected mothership.
