Incident Alert UPDATE 002- Vessel Boarded by Suspected Pirates in the Indian Ocean

Incident Alert UPDATE 002 – Vessel Boarded by Suspected Pirates in the Indian Ocean
Date: 04 January 2024 – 1419 Position: Lat 06°27′ N 057° 25′ E 

Location: Indian Ocean, 460nm eat of Eyl, Somalia

 

Incident Details

Following Neptune P2P Group’s incident report published on 04 January 2024, UKMTO has confirmed today, that military forces have now boarded the vessel, no unauthorised persons were found on the ship and the crew are safe. The vessel is now proceeding out of the area.

Vessel Boarded by Suspected Pirates in the Indian Ocean
Vessel Boarded by Suspected Pirates in the Indian Ocean

 

Comment

The Indian Navy has confirmed that personnel from INS CHENNAI boarded the vessel and the crew are all safe. Despite the successful outcome of this incident, ship operators are reminded that an active Piracy Action Group (PAG) is still operating in the region and all vessels transiting the area should remain vigilant.

Assessment

It is likely that the use of a citadel and compliance with advice given in BMP-5 has resulted in positive outcome for this vessel. It is also likely that the suspected pirates could not access the citadel to gain full control of the vessel which gave the military warship closing in on their position, time to affect a rescue. It is recommended that all vessels exercise vigilance and ensure that, should they be unable to repel a pirate attack, they comply with BMP-5 counter-piracy measures.