• Nine incidents were recorded globally during the reporting period

• East Africa HRA and Indian Ocean: One incident was recorded during the reporting period

• West Africa HRA: Five incidents were recorded during the reporting period 

• South and Southeast Asia: Three incidents were recorded during the reporting period

• America: No incidents were recorded during the reporting period

• Mediterranean: Heightened tensions in Libya amidst port closures

• Southeast Asia: Recent ASG activity demonstrates prevailing threat

•  One incident was recorded during the reporting period.

• Continuous piracy threat off the Somali coast and extending to the Gulf of Aden and Gulf of Oman. Actors involved in the ongoing conflict in Yemen have targeted vessels transiting the Bab-el-Mandeb Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS); increased vigilance is advised during daylight hours

• High pressure dominates the weather pattern over the region producing mostly clear skies. Be aware of high winds from low intensity hurricanes forming within the Arabian Sea. Expect increased localised wind flow through the Strait of Hormuz due to funnelling effects. (Source: US ONI).

1. 13/01/2020. 0004 UTC. CRIMINAL BOARDING. 14:23:31S - 040:42:55E. ICC. Nacala Anchorage, Mozambique. The duty watchman on board an anchored container vessel was approached by two assailants armed with long knives. He alerted the duty officer who raised the alarm, causing all crewmembers to muster. A later investigation discovered that a long rope had been stolen from the vessel’s forward store.

• Five incidents were recorded during the reporting period.
• Continuous threat off Nigeria, Benin, Togo and Ghana in addition to the coastlines of Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, the Republic of the Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

1. 20/01/2020 2300UTC. ATTACK. 05:30:00N - 003:40:60E. NYA. 57NM S of Lagos, Nigeria. A group of five to six pirates on board a skiff attempted to board a tanker vessel underway from Port Harcourt to Lagos. The crew raised the alarm and began anti-piracy manoeuvres, increasing the speed of the tanker. The pirates attempted to board the vessel with a ladder but were unable to. The tanker continued towards Lagos at high speed and the pirates disengaged. 

2. 19/01/2020. 2010 UTC. BOARDING. 05:04:58N - 002:10:44E. NYA. 76NM S of Cotonou, Benin. A group of five to six armed pirates on board a skiff used a ladder to board a container vessel on the starboard side. Crewmembers spotted two of the perpetrators near the bridge, sounded the alarm and locked themselves in the control room. All of the vessel's lights remained on. The vessel then proceeded at full speed towards Tema, Ghana causing the moored skiff to break away. At 0730 UTC on 20 January the vessel was located at Tema Anchorage, Ghana. Navy personnel conducted an on board investigation. No crew reported kidnaped or injured.

3. 17/01/2020. 2100 UTC. SUSPICIOUS APPROACH. 06:15:00N - 003:15:00E. NYA. Lagos Anchorage, Lagos, Nigeria. Crew on board a merchant vessel spotted a canoe approaching its anchor chain. An unidentified assailant on board the canoe attempt to climb the anchor chain, causing the crew to raise the alarm and alert SAA security. Once aware, the assailants fled.

4. 16/01/2020. 2057 UTC. ATTACK. 03:37:60N - 006:40:00E. MDAT-GOG. 21NM SW of Okwori Terminal, Nigeria. An oil tanker was attacked by a group of five pirates on board a small vessel. The tanker’s onboard AST fired warning shots, causing the pirates to flee. Vessel and crew reported safe.

5. 15/01/2020. 0424 UTC. SUSPICIOUS APPROACH. 03:46:07N - 009:28:59E. NYA. Douala Anchorage, Cameroon. An oil tanker was approached by a vessel from the starboard side. Upon seeing an onboard AST, the suspicious vessel redirected towards the tanker's stern. The AST fired warning shots, causing the suspicious vessel to flee. Location approximate.

• There was three incident recorded during the reporting period.

• Criminal boardings and boardings remain the primary threat to the region. However, the threat from Extended Duration Cargo Theft (EDCT) is present across the Malacca Strait and South China Sea.

• Expect strong gusts in and around scattered thunderstorms throughout the Malacca Strait and the Andaman Sea due to funnelling effects and daytime heating.

1. 18/01/2020. 0329 UTC. CRIMINAL BOARDING. 01:12:17N - 103:53:26E. RECAAP/NYA. Approximately 3NM SE of Sentosa Island, Singapore. At least seven assailants boarded a barge being towed by a tug vessel. The tug’s crew were alerted and made their way towards the barge, causing the perpetrators to flee on two or three waiting sampan vessels. Approximately five hours later, the same group boarded the barge a second time, stealing scrap metal. All crew reported safe.

2. 16/01/2020. 2000 UTC. HIJACKED. 05:30:38N - 119:10:24E. ICC-IMB/NYA. Approximately 4NM NW of Tambisan Island, Malaysia. A group of six armed pirates on board a grey speedboat attacked and boarded a fishing vessel. Malaysian maritime authorities were alerted to the hijack in progress and dispatched units to intervene. When authorities arrived, five of the vessel’s eight crew members had been kidnapped. Time and location approximate.

3. 13/01/2020. 0130 UTC. CRIMINAL BOARDING. ICC-IMB. 05:30:00S - 105:16:60E. ICC-IMB. Panjang Anchorage, Indonesia. The duty watchman on board an anchored bulk carrier noticed that the steering room lock was open and vessel engine spares were missing. The incident was reported to local authorities.

Due to delayed reporting the following incident was not included in the previous reports:

1. 07/01/2020. 0130 UTC. CRIMINAL BOARDING. IMO.  1:24:54N - 072:17:24E. Alang Anchorage, India. Five assailants boarded a merchant vessel at anchor and stole properties before escaping. The incident was reported to VTS Khambhat, MRCC Mumbai and the Indian Coast Guard.

On 17 January LNA-aligned tribesman seized control of Zueitina Port in protest of Turkey’s military involvement in Libya and the GNA’s alleged use of oil revenues to pay aligned foreign fighters. Following the incident, a group spokesperson announced the “closure” of all other terminals and ports under LNA control. The development marks an escalation in the ongoing conflict and represented a significant impediment to peace negotiations at the 19 January Berlin Conference. As a result, port and shipping operations across Libya face an elevated threat.

NYA Analysis: The closure of eastern ports by LNA-aligned tribesman was likely a strategic attempt by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar to gain negotiating leverage ahead of the 19 January Berlin Conference. As a result of these closures, National Oil Corporation (Tripoli) reported that eastern Libyan oil exports reduced by nearly 50%, a loss of approximately 700,000 barrels per day. While international parties have agreed to enforce a UN mandated arms embargo and to stop providing military assistance to the warring parties, significant de-escalation is unlikely in the short to medium term. As highlighted by the LNA’s seizure of Zueitina Port on 17 January, Haftar’s willingness and intent to further disrupt oil and maritime operations to achieve political objectives should be expected, particularly if peace talks continue to stall. As a result, port and shipping operations across Libya continue to face an elevated threat.

On 16 January a group of six armed pirates on board a grey speedboat hijacked a fishing vessel approximately 4NM off Tambisan Island, Malaysia, kidnapping five crew members. The incident was the first of its kind in Southeast Asia since 23 September 2019. In line with Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) modus operandi, the pirates kidnapped multiple crewmembers and sailed towards established hideouts in the southern Philippines.

NYA Analysis: While ASG’s involvement has yet to be  confirmed, pirate modus operandi demonstrated during the 16 January hijack resembled practices reported in three incidents recorded off Sabah in 2019, whereby armed assailants traveling on multiple speedboats kidnap crew and sailed  towards the southern Philippines. According to Western  Mindanao Commander Cirilito Sobejana, the assailants were allegedly intercepted by Malaysian naval forces in an unconfirmed location in the Sulu Sea on 18 January, however, the five victims had reportedly already been offloaded. Despite increased counterterrorism and counter-piracy efforts in the region, as highlighted by a Philippines military raid and airstrike on suspected ASG hideouts on Jolo Island on 18 January, the group maintains a resilient presence in the Sulu archipelago. Although its ability to kidnap vessel crew members has been weakened, the most recent incident exemplifies ASG’s persistent threat to commercial shipping in the Sulu and Celebes seas in the medium term.

The report’s findings are predictive and estimative. To communicate these findings clearly and in order to accurately compare threat levels, the report uses a variation of terminology used by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO).

Piracy: CV/NYA uses a modified version of the definition of piracy adopted by BMP5. For the purposes of this report, the term ‘piracy’ includes all violent and non-violent acts against vessels, her crew and cargo occurring either in internal waterways, territorial waters or deep offshore. Based on this definition, CV/NYA classifies piracy incidents into six categories: 

• Hijacking – Crew lost control of the vessel and / or pirates kidnapped at least one crewmember and / or passenger (s) 
• Boarding – Pirates successfully board a vessel with the intent to hijack it but their attempt to take control of the vessel or kidnap crewmember(s) and / or passenger(s) failed.
•  Attack – Vessel was attacked with gunfire or RPG fire, no boarding was successfully completed.
• Pirate Action Group (PAG) – Sighting or reporting of firearms and boarding equipment on board a suspicious vessel or sighting of a confirmed pirate mother ship.
• Criminal boarding – Vessel boarded with criminal intent, theft does not have to occur.
• Suspicious approach – Suspicious activity reported (i.e. a vessel was approached by unidentified skiff(s) with one or more persons on board).

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