UPDATE : Read this new article about piracy from Elaine Bunting's blog :
Since it has no proper links with the cruising community - and vice versa - ISAF has raised eyebrows by deciding to issue strong advice to yachtsmen not to enter the Gulf of Aden because of the risks of piracy.
The warning is oddly timed because many hundreds of yachts are currently doing this safely in growing confidence that the zone is becoming safer than it has been for years. Meanwhile, the evidence is that areas of gravest threat are shifting towards Kenya and into the Indian Ocean as far south as the Seychelles and Madagascar.
These are areas that are not patrolled, as is the Gulf of Aden, by the coalition forces of the US Navy's Combined Task Force 151 and the EU's Op ATALANTA.
When I was researching a special feature on piracy in our June issue (out on May 14th, by the way) Peter Seymour, a founder of Blue Water Rallies and its specialist adviser on security and piracy, told me: "My impression is that the incidence of piracy against yachts [in the Gulf of Aden] has fallen dramatically in the last six months."
Peter has safely taken seven round the world rallies through the Gulf of Aden in the last 14 years, including a group of 29 cruisers earlier this year, routeing for maximum protection through the centre buffer zone between the east-west and west-east Internationally Recommended Transit Corridors (IRTC).
That view is supported by other sailors who have cruised through this area. The Vasco da Gama rally also transited the Gulf of Aden without incident this year. Organiser Lo Brust has been through five times and his tactic is to sail within 10 miles of the coast of Oman and Yemen.
It is not just yacht rallies that have been safely transiting. There is a steady flow of independent cruisers. The trend is towards starting from Salalah in Oman and forming groups for safe passage; cruisers hook up at the western-style Oasis Club.
The port captain of Salalah confirms today that in the last three months 144 yachts have left for Aden and the Red Sea. As far as I can determine, there have been no incidents.
Another indicator of the relative risks is that it is possible to get yacht insurance through Lloyds underwriters to go through the Gulf of Aden.
ISAF's sailing instruction style advice bothers me and I hope it's not the first of more directives for cruisers. For while cruising sailors can make their own minds up, there is always a risk that its self-appointed authority could make life difficult in bureaucratic ways.
As I say, the risky areas appear to be shifting into the Indian Ocean, which they mention only in passing. There were four yacht hijackings last month around the Seychelles. It's important to emphasise that these are not random opportunistic thefts by rogue fishermen but well-organised businesses hijacking for ransom.
Statistically, there are much greater danger areas nearer to home. Melodye and John Pompa run the Caribbean Safety and Security Net. They tell me that there were 90 reported attacks in the Eastern Caribbean and Venezuela on yachts in 2008, including six injuries and four deaths. Up to March this year there were 15 reported attacks and one death (that does not include the widely reported murder of superyacht skipper Drew Gollan ashore in Antigua).
Parts of Venezuela are now seriously dangerous and have a dire track record of armed attacks and assaults. But statistics show that attacks are a low-level threat through the Caribbean: there were 110 recorded on yachts in the Southern Windward islands between 2005 and 2008.
When evaluating the actual risks of cruising or passagemaking, I think the key thing is to ensure the information you have is the most up to date possible. I wouldn't look to ISAF for that. Keep in touch with other cruisers as you go, check into the various nets (such as the Caribbean Safety net) and email groups and keep abreast of the excellentcruising website Noonsite.
And if you are interested in finding out more about piracy, the reported statistics and threats in various parts of the world, and advice on security from a panel of cruising experts….did I recommend buying our June issue?
Elaine Buntin (Copyright Yachtingworld 2009)
Article about piracy from Lo Brust, Vasco da Gama Rally :
It's a well know fact of the problem with the Piracy in the Gulf of Aden and the extreme South of the Red Sea near the Somalia border In the past 10 years I have sailed this route 5 times. All these times sail no more as max. 10NM out of the Coast from Oman and Yemen, to reach their Coastguard Radio. Every day I saw many fishing boats going offshore in the morning and sail back in the afternoon. I am never disturbed by any of them, they are extremely friendly and several times coming close to my yacht to say hello. But very strict to come never closer as max. 10 meters to my yacht.
During the past 2 rallies I had in Aden meetings with the Yemen Coastguard, Navy and Harbor Master to inform them about the rally and
our plans. They alerted all their stations on the Coast. Also in Cooperation with the Dutch Embassy I have informed the International
Coalition Fleet. Due the increasing number of attacks this year the United Nations arranged a Combined Joined Task Force Horn of
Africa and enlarge the numbers of Navy ships establish a protected corridor from Al Mukalla to the Red Sea.
In August Noonsite published an advice from LCDR Brett Morash USN for yachts: to sail in convoy and inform them if you are in the Gulf.
I have informed them about the Vasco da Gama rallies and he send the following mail back:
That sounds good. When you have more details please let me know and I will make sure that we get the word out to our coalition
allies to keep an eye out for them. Brett Morash.
Also Yemeni governement now have 3 Pirate Centres planned for the Coast of Yemen ( Al Mukalla, Aden and the Red Sea Port of Hodeidah.
Sailing in Eritrean and Sudanese waters is safe but sometimes yachts will approached by small like fishing boats, with crew with weapons and no uniformed. This are the so called Cost Guard. They will ask you to stop and check your papers. In our experience they have always been courteous and in one occasion they waved us after checking that we were flying an Eritrean Courtesy flag. Of course any yacht sailing in a country's waters without flying a courtesy flag is asking for troubles. Be al ways patient and correct.
Before entering the Gulf on Aden (Salalah or Aden, there will be a meeting with all the captains and crew. These convoy in groups of 5 yachts with a leader receive clear instructions. It's very important for your and other members safety to follow these instructions. For safety reasons these instructions will not be publish on the website.