NATO Chief Warns of Increasing Pirate ActivityPirate attack skiffs (courtesy:
NATO) In the last few days the number of pirate attacks off the coast of
Somalia has increased highlighting the fact that now the monsoon is weakening,
the pirates are once again ready to attack merchant ships transiting through
the Indian Ocean.MC Northwood's Chief of Staff, Rear Admiral Hank Ort (NLD N)
states, "in the last few years, it has been the case that come October when the
South West monsoon weakens, the pirates have been able to put to sea and we
have seen the number of attacks on merchant vessels increase. We are warning
vessels that reports show that there are pirate groups operating already in the
Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea and Gulf of Aden. Merchant vessels should ensure that
Best Management Practices are followed and that vessels continue to make it as
difficult as possible for pirates to board and take control of their ships. Our
Naval forces are not complacent and remain vigilant. Despite the lull in pirate
attacks over the summer due to the monsoon they have continued to patrol
throughout the region."During the last week of September, there were three
attacks and one approach in the Southern Red Sea (SRS), two incidents of
suspicious activity in the Gulf of Aden (GOA), one incident of suspicious
activity in the Arabian Sea and a disruption of a whaler Pirate Action Group
(PAG) in the central Somali Basin. Increased pirate activity continued over the
weekend with three ships reporting attacks on Sunday 2nd October in the Gulf of
Aden, Southern Somali Basin and Arabian Sea. All three are safe having managed
to repel the pirates. The ships did have security teams on board and were aware
of self protection measures.Version 4 of Best Management Practices for merchant
ships (BMP4) has been released and provides useful updates to masters in
implementing Ship Protection Measures to deter piracy. The new publication is
designed in a well-organised layout with greater clarification of terminology
and procedures. The changes from BMP3 to BMP4 are based on lessons learned from
ships' masters and provide guidance on HOW to implement the recommended
practices. BMP4 can be downloaded from the NATO Shipping Centre website
www.shipping.nato.int where you will find information about the latest pirate
attacks and where they occurred.NATO has contributed to the international
counter piracy effort off the Horn of Africa since December 2008. The mission
has expanded from escorting UN and World Food Programme Shipping under
Operation Allied Provider and protecting merchant traffic in the Gulf of Aden
under Operation Allied Protector. In addition to these activities and as part
of the latest mission, Operation Ocean Shield, NATO is working with other
international bodies to help develop capacity of countries in the region to
tackle piracy on their own.Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 is permanently
assigned to NATO. It is a multi-national Naval Group that provides the NATO
Alliance with the ability to quickly respond to crisis situations anywhere in
the world. A capable, stand-alone task group and one of four standing maritime
elements that form a flexible core around which NATO can build a larger force
to meet a wide range of missions that will include non-combatant evacuations,
consequence management, counter terrorism, crisis response, embargo operations,
etc.NATO has announced its continuing commitment to counter-piracy by extending
Operation Ocean Shield to December 2012. NATO Forces currently in Operation
Ocean Shield: ITS Andrea Doria (Flagship) - Italy USS Carney
United States of America USS De Wert United States of America NRP D.
Francisco De Almeida Portugal RFA Fort Victoria United Kingdom P3-MPA
Norway
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