Best Practise Recommendations

The following recommendations remain in effect for all vessels:

a. Demonstrate a willingness to defend yourself. Do not present an attractive target for attack and do not surrender immediately at first sign of a threat.

b. Employ speed and manoeuvre to avoid attack. Conduct transit of high threat area at maximum sustainable speed at all times. Maintain a full visual and radar watch throughout the transit. Provide extra lookouts if possible, especially during daylight hours. Lookouts should be positioned to ensure a 360 degree unobstructed field of view with full view of all freeboard areas. Actively watch for developing situations and take early action, aft lookouts must be particularly vigilant for small boats approaching from astern. Manoeuvre aggressively if under attack (sea state dependant). If engineering or other technical problems cause reduction in speed immediately active defensive measures to reduce vulnerability

c. Take defensive precautions prior to entering high threat areas, including rigging fire hoses and raising outboard equipment and/or positioning it inboard. Consider other non-lethal measures such as focused sonic devices and flares

d. In accordance with the US coast guard Marsec directive, US flag vessels that operate in high risk waters should consider supplementing vessel’s crew with armed or unarmed security personnel. If transiting the HOA/GOA all vessels shall supplement vessels crew with armed or unarmed security personnel based on a piracy-specific vessel threat assessment conducted by the operator.

e. If attacked or boarded, Masters should activate the ship security alert system( SSAS), broadcast attacks immediately on all available radio circuits, adjust speed and manoeuvre, and activate all available defensive measures. Do not immediately surrender upon approach of suspected pirate boats. Attacks have been thwarted in many cases where defensive measures were used and the vessels became difficult targets. An attack has even been successfully thwarted when pirates were able to board a ship but were unable to gain access to the superstructure due to the careful preparations securing all access points.

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