Somali Pirates Driven Off in First Attack of 2014

Dryad’s bulletin represented the attack: “In the incident on Fri, a Mothership-enabled PAG attacked a transiting vessel with little arms fireplace. The on board security team took applicable action and repelled the attack with a graduated response, culminating in associate exchange of fireside.

“The pirates unheeded deterrence, and continuing their approach, firing at the ship. a strong response from the embarked team was eventually enough to encourage the pirate small boat to come to the security of its sailing ship mother vessel, permitting the businessperson vessel to continue safely on its transit, reportage the incident to relevant authorities.

Ian Millen, Director of Intelligence at wood nymph Maritime Intelligence, commented: “This incident shows that, despite the terribly clear decline within the scope and scale of Somali piracy, as proved  by the IMB’s latest report and wood nymph Maritime Intelligence’s own figures, the threat remains terribly real.

“There has been a transparent reversal of fortune for Somali pirates within the last 2 years; the combined effects of proactive military service operations, compliance with anti-piracy BMP four measures and also the leaving of armed security guards have created life harder for maritime criminals, however the matter is barely broadly speaking contained and is unlikely to be whole eradicated till an answer is found on the bottom in African nation.”

Dryad points out that “no vessel has ever been hijacked with associate armed security team on board, people who were ab initio skeptical on the prospect of getting trained men and weapons embarked have additional recently accepted that this specific ‘layer’ of defense has been successful story.

“Without armed guards, 2013 may not are quite as unhealthy a year because it was for Somali pirate gangs. With 5 conveyance and one vessel attacked between finish|the top|the tip} of the point Monsoon and year end, we have a tendency to may have seen a really completely different image as we have a tendency to began 2014.

“In every of the Somali pirate attacks higher than, four within the Somali Basin/Indian Ocean and 2 within the Gulf of port, embarked security groups were concerned in deterring or offensive the attackers. Had these vessels not had armed groups on board, up to a few of them might be beneath Somali pirate management to the current day, providing new ships and crews for ransom and energizing the Somali criminal income, to mention nothing of the morale boost for the pirates themselves following some terribly public and prospering judicial outcomes in courts from the USA to Japan.”

Millen added: “There isn't any doubt that the great guys within the HRA have had a decent year which success has eluded the unhealthy guys. With reports of additional military service disruptions than pirate attacks in 2013 and also the recent publication of the IMB’s annual figures, it's clear that the tide has turned for those that obtain gain from the misery of others. however the foremost recent already dark attack on seventeenth Gregorian calendar month – the primary of 2014 – within the shipping lanes on the far side the immediate protection of military service, is that the clearest reminder of Somali pirate intent and capability. they will have taken a beating in 2013, however this attack has shown that Somali pirates still have the information, the determination and also the supplying capability to mount attacks against vulnerable ships.”

Source: wood nymph Maritime Intelligence