NATO Piracy Update

July 2012  

From the period of July 4th through July 10th, there have been no reported piracy incidents in the area where NATO is conducting Operation Ocean Shield.

Although the South-West monsoon is limiting pirate activity on the open waters, the groups will still likely be active closer to shore. Pirate attack groups will concentrate their efforts in the Gulf of Oman, Gulf of Aden, Northern Arabian Sea and Southern Red Sea.

There have been relatively recent reports of suspicious-looking small craft approaching larger merchant vessels. The reports have been made to piracy watchdog organizations, but do not necessarily indicate piracy. This is one of the primary difficulties combatting the problem– many normal routine actions on the sea can blend in to pirates strategy. It is most likely that the majority of these approaches are innocent and incidental. These actions may be taken by small fishing vessels, local traders, or even smugglers.

Please stay aware and remember that any confirmed incidents of piracy will be reported immediately to all merchant marine information outlets.

Fortunately, during the South-West monsoon season, ocean conditions will likely be too dangerous for small vessels or skiffs to operate on open waters. This means many areas marked as high risk areas will be safer than normal. However, this means that there may be more concentrated pirate activity in gulfs, bays and other littoral areas.

In the aforementioned region, there have been no incidents of piracy, and vessels are alerted to be aware of the fact that the monsoon season will also cause an increase in fishermen in these areas as well. All vessels, especially their security teams, are advised to carefully distinguish between normal ship behavior and suspected pirate activity.