Maritime Port Authority of Singapore released a marine circular which outlines its precautions to Singapore-registered ships, ship owners, managers, operators, masters, on ongoing security concerns for ships operating off the coast of West Africa, including the Gulf of Guinea (GoG) due to piracy and hijacking incidents.
While piracy attacks typically occur within 200 nautical miles from the Coast, two recent pirate attacks in November 2022 and April 2023 respectively were found to have occurred more than 200 nautical miles from the coast of Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire. Piracy thus continues to pose a threat and the modus operandi are constantly evolving.
To counter this threat, MPA strongly recommends that Singapore-registered ships take the necessary precautions to ensure their safety and security when operating in the region:
- maintain vigilance and proper lookout, taking into account the evolving trends and the perpetrators’ modus operandi;
- review their Ship Security Assessment and Ship Security Plan including regular planned testing of Ship Security Alert System and security drills;
- register with the Maritime Domain Awareness for Trade – Gulf of Guinea (MDAT-GoG) when entering and transiting the voluntary reporting area as per the UKHO chart Q6114 and SHOM chart 8801CSD.
- report all pirate and hijacking activities promptly, including both actual and attempted attacks
- implement the guidelines contained in the Best Management Practices West Africa
Source: Safety4sea
