MPA cautions Singapore-registered ships while operating off Coast of West Africa

Business

Published Thu, 3rd August 2023
by Admin

MPA strongly recommends the ships to take necessary precautions to ensure safety and security when operating in the region following piracy and hijacking incidents.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) on Wednesday (3 August) issued Shipping Circular No 9 of 2023 which outlines its precautions to Singapore-registered shipowners, managers and 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:

ADVISORY FOR SINGAPORE-REGISTERED SHIPS OPERATING OFF THE COAST OF WEST AFRICA INCLUDING THE GULF OF GUINEA

This shipping circular supersedes Shipping Circular No. 6 of 2018.

There have been 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. The MDAT-GoG can be contacted by phone at +33 2 9822 8888 or by email to [email protected] or via website https://gog- mdat.org/home ;
report all pirate and hijacking activities promptly, including both actual and attempted attacks, as well as suspicious sightings, to the Singapore Registry of Ships 24/7 hotline at +65 6225 5777 and email [email protected], local authorities and the MDAT-GoG;
implement the guidelines contained in the Best Management Practices West Africa , published by industry organisations and supported by government and military organisations to help mariners detect, deter and delay external threats, when operating in the region.

Any queries relating to this circular should be directed to the Singapore Ship Registry at [email protected].

Manifold Times previously reported MPA confirming Singaporean-registered oil tanker Success 9 was boarded by pirates on 10 April.

The tanker was boarded by unidentified persons at about 300 nautical miles off the Abidjan Coast, Cote d’lvoire at about 10 pm (Singapore time).

Later, Manifold Times reported Success 9 was located off the coast of Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire and all crew members including a Singaporean crew were safe and in good health.

Photo credit: Manifold Times
Published: 3 August, 2023

MPA cautions Singapore-registered ships while operating off Coast of West Africa

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