Piracy Prevention.

Years back the seaman used fire hoses with high pressured water to prevent the pirates from boarding the vessels. Now modern day pirates can't be fought with spraying water on them. Because the pirates are well armed and they use machine guns and rocket launchers to attack the ship first and then they climb on board to hijack the vessel to their home country.

Like these kind of attacks can't be faced by the merchant ship officers or crew members as they are not trained armed forces. On board ship personal are just simple people who took this dangerous profession to earn some money for them and to their families and not to fight.

Many countries have sent their navy ships on pirate watch duty. Those Navy ships are on patrol and assist merchant ships in the pirates infested areas, specially near to Somalia where most of the attacks on merchant ship takes place. Many International organizations are advising and give warning to ships about pirates.

Although it is the duty of the onboard ship crew and ship officer’s duty to take necessary pre cautions and preventions against the pirates attack.

Keep your ship fully ready to reach the maximum sped if it is necessary to do so.
When you are on watch in the pirates operating areas do your duty well, if you are careless all the ship personals life and your life too will be in danger.
If you are an officer on watch be ready to alert Navy vessel through channel 16 to get assistance if pirate attack is going to take place. Be alert to start general alarm system and general announcement system.

Many ship operators and owners are now hiring private guards with ammunations to guard their vessels and their ship crew against pirates. This practice is not approved by the International Maritime Organization although they are employing the armed guards for protection at very high cost.

Live Piracy Report.

[Go here]

Best Managment Practice for the Gulf of Aden and off Somalia.

In an effort to counter Piracy in the Gulf of Aden and off the east coast of Somalia industry bodies including the International Maritime Bureau have published the Best Management Practice (BMP) guidelines.

Please get a copy of the BMP pdf.

All attacks including sightings of suspicious crafts / mother ships should be reported to the 24 hour manned IMB Piracy Reporting Centre.

Tel: 00 60 3 2078 5763 / 00 60 3 2031 0014.

Email: piracy@icc-ccs.org.

Maersk Group statement on piracy »