The recent dramatic rise in piracy in many locations around the world has prompted Maersk to re-route part of its fleet to avoid the Gulf of Aden, a particular hot spot, and seek alternative routing south of the Cape of Good Hope and east of Madagascar. This will primarily affect their tanker operations, though one would expect all shipping routes to be examined for potential risk.
In order to continuously ensure the safety of our crews as well as vessels and cargo, A.P. Moller – Maersk has updated the policy for vessels entering the Gulf of Aden and off the coast of East Africa. The update is a consequence of the recent development in piracy hijackings in the area.
Vessels without adequate speed or freeboard will for the time being avoid the Gulf of Aden and seek alternative routing south of the Cape of Good Hope and east of Madagascar. However, based upon availability of escorts these vessels may join naval convoy transit in the Gulf of Aden.
“The policy change will primarily impact our tanker vessels. Only three container vessels will be affected and we expect to further limit the impact by redeployment.
In general and for vessels entering the Gulf of Aden, we have safety and security procedures in place. We continue to monitor the situation and regularly update our procedures and policies.
We believe that piracy in the Gulf of Aden is a threat to important international trade lanes and therefore an international security issue. It must be addressed by relevant authorities and the international community. It is not a problem that A.P. Moller – Maersk or the shipping industry can solve alone”, says Søren Skou, partner and member of the Executive Board in A.P. Moller – Maersk.
This is probably not the last we’ll see of shipping companies adapting to the pirate’s activities.
Link: Maersk
