• A total of eight incidents have been recorded globally during this reporting period.
• West Africa VRA/HRA: Three incidents have been reported this week. As we received it after sending last week’s weekly report, one incident which occurred last week has been included in this weekly report.
• Indian Ocean VRA/HRA: One incident has been reported this week.
• Southeast Asia Region: Four incidents have been reported this week. As we received it after sending last week’s weekly report, two incidents which occurred last week have been included in this weekly report.
• Americas Region: No incidents have been reported this week. As we received it after sending last week’s weekly report, one incident which occurred last week has been included in this weekly report.

• Three incidents were reported this week. One incident has been included that was received after last week’s report was sent.

• This week saw two pirate attacks occur. One on a cargo vessel 139nm off Brass. The crew of the cargo vessel took refuge in the citadel meaning the pirates only managed to escape with equipment. The other took place 3nm southeast of Opobo river and saw three crew kidnapped off a tanker.

• The ten pirates who were arrested last week for hijacking a Chinese fishing vessel are the first people to be prosecuted under Nigeria’s Suppression of Piracy and Other Maritime Offences (SPOMO) Act. 

• The heavy rain and storms are more frequent and the sea state is increasing, producing less favourable conditions for piracy.

• One incident reported this week. 
• This week saw a suspicious approach on a tanker approximately 48nm southwest of Hodeidah Port, Yemen. The vessel was approached by two small skiffs carrying objects, possibly weapons and black flags with white Arabic letters were hoisted. The skiffs closest point of approach was 0.5nm. 
• The suspicious approach was the third in the region this year and the first since February.

• Four incidents have been reported this week. Two incidents have been included that was received after last week’s report was sent.

• This week saw four robberies in the region. Three robberies, one at Merak anchorage, Indonesia, one at Belwan Port, Indonesia and one at Campha anchorage, Vietnam. Whilst one attempted robbery occurred 2nm northeast of Pulau Nongsa, Indonesia. 

• The past two weeks have seen a total of ten incidents in the region. That’s 22% of the total incidents for the year to date.

• No reported incidents this week. One incident has been included that was received after last week’s report was sent.
• This incident saw a robbery take place on an anchored tanker off Port Au Prince, Haiti. This is the second robbery to have occurred in Haiti in the past two weeks.
• With three incidents in the region this month it looks like May will follow the trend and see a reduction in the number of incidents. January, March and April have all seen a reduction of incidents when compared to 2019. Only February saw an increase.

This report is produced in partnership with with Clearwater (CWD).  All 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: CWD/CV have adopted the definition of piracy similar to that given in the BMP5. Content within this document uses the term ‘piracy’ which includes all violent and non-violent acts against vessels, her crew and cargo which have taken place either in internal waterways, territorial waters or deep offshore. CWD/CV classifies piracy incidents into six categories:

Hijacking – Crew lost control of the vessel for a sufficient period of time and then pirates kidnapped at least one crewmember and/or passenger (s)

Pirate Attack – Vessel was attacked with gunfire or RPG fire and/or then boarded the vessel with the intent to hijack and/or kidnap at least one crewmember(s) and/or passenger(s)

Robbery – Vessel is boarded with criminal intent, theft does not have to occur

Suspicious approach/vessels – Suspicious activity reported (i.e. a vessel was approached by unidentified craft with one or more persons on board) or sighting of firearms and boarding equipment on board a suspicious vessel and/or sighting of a confirmed pirate mother ship

General Alert – A reported incident has been released by authorities to notify seafarers of a possible incident which is still being investigated/confirmed. This can also be a warning of an imminent Danger to seafarers

Caution – An unconfirmed warning of an incident that could affect seafarers which CWD Operations Centre has received.

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You have received this report as part of your organisation’s subscription. Castor Vali assessment and advice is given on the basis of the information received and processed by us and the surrounding circumstances known to us to exist at the time. Subsequent changes to relevant information or to the surrounding circumstances may affect the reliability of our assessment and advice but we do not accept responsibility for that effect. We do not accept responsibility for the outcome of action taken or not taken as a result of our assessment and advice unless the possibility of that action being taken or not taken is set out in specific terms in our instructions.