Over the last several weeks the NATO Shipping Centre has received increased reporting of suspicious approaches on merchant vessels, a majority of which have been located along the Western approaches to the Gulf of Aden.  Military units dispatched to investigate have been unable to positively confirm any skiffs or small craft with pirate paraphernalia, in particular boarding ladders, however it is possible that skiffs with potential pirates are loitering in the area and conducting probes to test the responsiveness of merchant vessels transiting the area.

It should be noted that due to seasonal meteorological conditions, in particular the onset of the SW Monsoon season, there is increased fishing activity in the Gulf of Aden along the southern coastline of Yemen, and at least some of the recent reports appear to be interaction between legitimate fishing boats and merchants transiting in close proximity to the traditional seasonal fishing areas.

For further information on basic regional and seasonal fishing information please click here

Standing Guidance by NSC

Regional Considerations:

Masters are advised to remain vigilant at all times in transit or at anchorage and fully implement protection measures, as set down in BMP4, across the entire High Risk Area (HRA).

Sailing yachts should avoid transiting the HRA. Past activity has shown that pirates will attack both large and small yachts passing their way. Despite the fact that attacks on merchant vessels appear to have decreased, the possibility of attacks and the successful pirating of sailing vessels remains likely due to their vulnerability and the reduction of revenue sources from pirated merchant vessels.

There have been a number of incidents reported to counter-piracy organisations in the HRA involving small craft approaches to merchant vessels. Although these incidents may appear to be piracy related, the majority actually are not and have been assessed as non-piracy related activity common to the pattern of life in the area. This can include fishing, small vessel trade, smuggling and other local traffic.

Fishing vessels may approach a merchant ship to maximize fishing opportunities or to safeguard fishing nets and fishermen may carry small arms. It is not uncommon for fishing vessels to follow merchant and large vessels in order to capitalise on the often increased numbers of fish in the resultant wake. Please note that, if the NATO Shipping Centre assesses an approach or incident to be piracy-related, we will issue relevant warnings.

Weather:

Southwest monsoon conditions are starting to influence the operating areas, with the exception of the GOA. Winds and seas continue to increase in all areas as the Southwest Monsoon continues to establish over the next week.

Piracy Threat:

The threat of piracy against merchant shipping continues throughout the entire HRA. Successful disruptions by naval forces over the past few months, in conjunction with masters' adherence and implementation of BMP4, have significantly reduced the pirates' ability to capture vessels. However, pirates are able to act far off the coast of Somalia and are likely in search of vessels of opportunity.

Pirate Tactics:

Pirate Attack Groups (PAGs) have made "soft-approaches" on merchant ships transiting the HRA. A skiff will often approach a vessel to probe the reactivity of its embarked security team, if present. If they elicit no response, the pirates may then proceed with an attack, sometimes accompanied by a second skiff. This practice seems designed to allow pirates to avoid needless expenditures of ammunition and personal risk without a significant probability of success.

Continued Vigilance and the use of BMP:

It is imperative that merchant vessels remain vigilant at all times in transit and/or at anchorage and fully implement protection measures set down in BMP4 across the whole High Risk Area (HRA) as it can make the critical difference of being approached, attacked, or pirated. NSC would like to remind masters that BMP4 highly recommends maintaining best possible vessel speed when transiting the HRA to deter pirate boardings.

Registration & Incident Reporting:

As per Section 5 of BMP4, early registration with MSCHOA before entering the HRA and initial and regular reporting to UKMTO are highly recommended to ensure military authorities are aware of a vessel's passage and vulnerabilities.

Source: NSC

Source: CGPCS

In December 2010, the Lloyd's Market Association's  Joint War Committee, a group of underwriters based in  London, had increased the scope of the piracy-infested region till 65 degree east longitude. The increased area was defined in the 'Best Management Practices (BMP)' industry document, which is strongly endorsed by  multinational forum, Contact Group on Piracy off the  Coast of Somalia (CGPCS).

On May 1, the CGPCS held its plenary meeting in New York, where India, along with Egypt and Oman, reiterated their demand for review of the High Risk Area, which it  had raised in earlier meetings too.

"This time, we pointed out with a lot of facts and  figures that there had been no incidents reported east  of 65 degree since March 2012. And even that incident  was 450 nautical miles from the Indian coast," said a  senior Ministry of External Affairs official.

This fight, according to the Indian Government, has  become necessary to protect the interest of the Indian fishermen, whose livelihood gets hit by large cargo ships navigating these waters close to the Indian  coast, apart from ensuring that sailing through the  Arabian Sea does not mean heavy insurance premiums for  the cargo vessel operators.

"The Enrica Lexie incident, which led to the shooting  of two Indian fishermen, was a direct result,"  asserted a senior government official. The Italians had  even argued that the incident took place within the  High Risk Area, to explain the skittishness of the  marines who mistook the fishermen for pirates.

For more information, please click here

Source: The New Indian Express, Devirupa Mitra

Currently, four naval entities work together tosupport merchant shipping on a day to day basis - the NSC,MSCHOA, UKMTO and MARLO.

These organizations provide a range of products and services to companies, ships' masters and theirservice providers to assist them in planning and conducting a safe passage through the Piracy HighRisk Area (HRA).

NATO Shipping Centre has created a document that describes these tools and how they support the various stages ofa transit through the HRA.

You may download the document here

Source: NATO Shipping Centre

According to the study carried out among local communities, including residents of Dadaab refugee camps in northern Kenya and South-Central Somalia, support for piracy along the Somali coast has plummeted.

Findings of the survey conducted on behalf of Somali Anti-Piracy Information Centre (SAPIC) reflect a shift from the situation in 2007, when the modern day pirates touted themselves as custodians of unprotected waters of Somalia from illegal fishing and toxic waste dumping.

Speaking at the launch of the survey findings at Jazeera Hotel in Mogadishu, SAPIC Chairman Abdullahi Hersi expressed joy at the results: "At 98 per cent discontent, it is clear the Somali people understand that piracy is destructive to the community and that its negative effects far outweigh its material benefits."

Read more here.

Source: Standard Digital News

The release earlier this month of an official Chinese government report showing that the threats that country faces come mostly from the sea serves to underscore the importance of safeguarding national security through effective maritime security-including state-of-the-art counter-piracy efforts, said Commander Nicholas-Andrew Iliopoulos, who is the Senior Business Development Manager for AdvanFort Company, in the article titled China Rules (... the waves) written for Piracy Daily.

In the article Special to Piracy Daily Commander Iliopoulos reveals flowing:

As Xinhua noted, in "China's Ocean Development Report (2013)" distributed by the China Institute for Marine Affairs under the State Oceanic Administration, the Asian giant's determination to "strengthen its capability to handle international maritime affairs over the next 20 years" remains-according to the report-based on maritime security policies that have not changed fundamentally.

Which, in the opinion of Commander Nicholas-Andrew Iliopoulos, who is the Senior Business Development Manager for AdvanFort Company, is where counter-piracy operations come in as part of considerations regarding the second-largest global economy's high-seas voyage into the future.

As an oil production boom in the United States causes exporters who provided for American markets to seek other clients-especially prized relations in an energy-thirsty China-the world oil tanker trade is itself expanding at its quickest rate in the past decade.

The oil being shipped requires tankers to trek significantly longer routes, while adding to the number and location of shipping choke points, as well as challenges such as growing vulnerabilities to piracy.

Meanwhile Chinese naval efforts against piracy in the Gulf of Aden have won plaudits from officials representing such different interests as those of Iran and the United States. And, as the Pentagon told the U.S.

Congress in its annual report two weeks ago, Chinese military modernization has "become increasingly focused on investments in military capabilities to conduct a wider range of missions ... including counter-piracy ..."

All of this is happening as we experience a historic change that, though in its infancy, is destined to transform the economics of our planet. With new work driver China at the wheel, the developing world is rapidly overcoming the developed one. Experts point out that the Chinese economy will be almost the same size as that of the United States by 2025. Twenty-five years after that, the first ten GDPs in the world are projected to be as follows: China, the U.S., India, Brazil, Mexico, Russia, Indonesia, Japan, UK, and Germany.

In the maritime community, the emerging future seems like a hallowed reflection of a not-so- distant past, as Christopher Columbus would know first hand. China was the greatest maritime nation in the world for almost four and half centuries, from the consolidation of the Song Empire until the remarkable seafaring expeditions of the early Ming (1405-33) under Admiral Zheng He.

As China moves forward, it is confronted with a virtual army of senior foreign executives who, seeking to establish their businesses, are eager to penetrate the Chinese red-hot economy and together achieve growth and profitability. As can already be seen, not all of them succeed, with failure rates in China attributed, according to conventional wisdom, to a lack of cultural fit, familial issues, and inadequate support from the head office.

Many executives are ill equipped to tackle China's unique challenges. Leading in China-as in other Asian shipping markets as well-requires a range of skills that goes beyond (and in some cases conflicts with) conventional standards of business teaching and practice.

Thus, prevailing attitudes of management for accomplishment need to be reworked. They demand cultural understanding and adaptability, market knowledge, the ability to perceive and respond to rapid change, and support from headquarters.

Western roles ought to be retuned, when not recast, with the focus being: Strategic yet hands-on, Disciplined yet entrepreneurial, Process oriented yet sensitive to people, Authoritative yet nurturing, Firm yet flexible, and Action driven, yet circumspect.

There is a long list of books being put to use about Chinese business etiquette and ethics; however, what one learns in China is neither written nor taught in classrooms. The bottom line on how ready an executive is to lead in China should focus on (as we do at AdvanFort Company):

Despite all the lip service paid to these goals, levels of practical understanding about China remains shockingly low.

Therefore lessons learned from previous working experience in China remain the key to a positive experience, particularly the need to "shift the prism a little so you can see things differently."

Is it too late to enter China? Yes, it's a tough market. And yes, your competitors may have gotten there first. But the biggest mistake would be choosing not to invest in China. Of the Fortune 500 companies, about 480 are already in there-and those who are successful know that they have to work for achievement.

Around the world, executives trolling the market (including in the maritime world) usually consider the three Cs: Customers, Competitors, and the Company.

Many, however, remain in danger of not grasping older cultural wisdom and, particularly when they focus on China, they ought to add one more consideration: Context."

By Nicholas-Andrew IliopoulosSpecial to Piracy Daily

Source: Advanfort

In the past decade, the level of maritime insecurity in the region's waters has become the highest in the world, undermining development and affecting the wellbeing of millions of people.

The EU has been present in the region already since 2008 to address the deteriorating situation and to harden ships against attack. Thanks to these efforts piracy has decreased from 299 attacks in 2011 to 111 in 2012 (a reduction of over 62%), while the number of hijackings dropped from 25 to 12. So far, attacks remain at this low level in 2013. Yet the situation remains reversible.

"This new European support marks a step forward in the fight against piracy because it demonstrates the EU's on-going commitment to combatting this complex problem. Strengthening security in the maritime routes is crucial for us because it will help boosting trade and growth in the region, which would enormously improve people's lives." said Development Commissioner Andris Piebalgs.

"This new funding is another sign of our commitment to stamping out piracy. It forms part of our comprehensive approach to assisting countries in the region, which means that we deal with the causes as well as the symptoms of piracy. We have made huge strides over last few years, and this money will help to build on the progress we have made by strengthening legal systems, improving financial controls and training young men to find alternatives to piracy." said High Representative Catherine Ashton.

The new programme will help to develop the legal and judicial system of countries in the region, so that they are better equipped for the arrest and transfer of pirates. Financial oversight systems will also be strengthened, by providing training for the authorities to prevent the movement of funds contributing to, or resulting from piracy. Capacity-building (for example, sharing expertise and implementing training), and providing material logistic support on security, will help to improve surveillance and patrol of the coastline.

In Somalia, in particular, the programme will also carry out anti-piracy awareness campaigns in areas where piracy is prevalent; as well as providing vulnerable groups of young men with training so that they successfully pursue alternative vocations. In this way, Somali administration and communities will be helped to initiate home-grown solutions to these problems.

Source: Europa.eu

The MASE programme is part of a wider package of development and political efforts by the European Union in Somalia and the Horn of Africa region. EU support to the region has enabled the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) to reach its total strength of 17,731 uniformed personnel, and access to basic, primary and secondary education for more than 40,000 students since 2010. Find more information at

Trade between New Zealand and the Middle East and North Africa region was valued at more than US$7bn (RO2.7bn) in 2012, accounting to 7.5 per cent of the country's global trade, the New Zealand Defence Minister Jonathan Coleman said.

As the threat of piracy in regional waters continues the country has 'a direct interest' in supporting task forces to protect shipping lanes, he added.

"Later this year the Royal New Zealand Navy frigate HMNZS Te Mana will join the multinational Combined Maritime Force (CMF), the multinational task group designed to combat piracy in the region," said Coleman.

"The frigate will be part of the maritime security task force for three months - from November this year - after having a work-up period in Australia. A New Zealand Defence Force P-3K2 Orion maritime patrol aircraft will also deploy with CMF for three months from mid-2014."

The New Zealand Defence Force has been part of CMF operations in the recent past.

Source: Muscatdaily.com

Operation Active Endeavour (OEA) is one aspect of NATO's multi-faceted response to the terrorist threat and is the only current operation conducted by the Alliance under Article 5 of the NATO Treaty (collective self defence). As the Alliance has refined its counter-terrorism role in the intervening years, the operation's mandate has been regularly reviewed, revised and its remit extended.

OAE was initially designed as an operation utilizing ships, aircraft and submarines of the two Standing NATO Maritime Groups in rotation. These Forces conduct presence and surveillance activities including the hailing, and compliant boarding, of selected vessels.

The current modus operandi for OAE is to gather and process information and intelligence to build a picture of all maritime traffic in the Mediterranean Sea with a selective focus on particular Contacts of Interest.

Building on the experience developed over the years, the operation is becoming network-based and no longer relies on permanently assigned units. However, it continues to conduct 'surge' operations and remains prepared to carry out at-sea inspections

New technologies, exploitation of developments in surveillance and information sharing capabilities, closer cooperation and information sharing with Mediterranean Dialogue (MD) and Partnership for Peace (PfP) countries have enabled this transition

A combination of surge operations and standby units will replace permanently deployed forces. We continue to develop arrangements and protocols for the exchange of information between NATO and non-NATO contributing nations, Law Enforcement Agencies, International Organizations and Non-Governmental Organizations in order to enhance the effectiveness of this important mission.

Click here to view relevant video

Source: NATO

Pirates recently attacked a German cargo ship and kidnapped five crew members. Pirates on the East African coast generally hijack the vessel and crew to demand millions of dollars in ransom. By contrast, West African pirates are intent on capturing the shipment - with violence if necessary. With oil production on the rise in countries throughout the region, cargo ships are a worthwhile loot for pirates.

That may be about to change, says Ralf Nagel, manager of the Federation of German Shipping Companies (VDR). "Just recently, we had two cases where sailors were kidnapped [off the West African coast] with the obvious aim of demanding ransom," he told DW.

Learn more information here

Source: DW