Dodging pirates in the Gulf of Aden

[Archie Coulter]

Dodging pirates in of the Gulf of Aden

Despite a large navy presence in the Gulf of Aden pirates still abound and attack ships daily. Below is an account of my recent experience of the problem.

During my last voyage with Andrew Weir as Master of the ‘Mahinabank’ we had to transit the Gulf of Aden on our way from Singapore to Suez. This was a particularly worrying time for all on board, especially as our sister ship the ‘Boularibank’ had been attacked the previous month and narrowly avoided being hi-jacked.
Another problem which served to further compound our worries was the fact that only one of our two engines was working properly. We would only be able to use the other in an emergency and even then at reduced power. Our maximum speed would then only be 14.0 Kts, instead of 17.5 and only 11.0 if the second engine gave up the ghost.
Long before we arrived at the danger zone (a corridor 450 miles long) we started on our anti piracy measures which included tying many floating objects at the break of the focsle. These were to drop into the water to discourage pirates from approaching, which was a measure successfully applied by the ‘Boularibank.’ We also rigged many hoses along the deck pointing down to potential boarding places. A good supply of rocket parachute flares were on hand as the first line of defence. Drills were held and every one made familiar with the signals and what to do in case of an attack.
Tension mounted on the ship as we approached the area and anti piracy watches were started. Daily we were getting reports of one or two ships being attacked so the threat was very real. Unlike pirates of yesteryear content to rob ships and make off with the booty (The big prize in recent years had been the cash from the masters safe) these people would be hi-jacking the ship and holding the crew hostage for months till a ransom was paid.
Anyway lady luck was smiling on us… As we had some sensitive high value cargo on board and our slow speed, the powers that be arranged for a naval escort for us. This was great news and a navy ship escorted us the whole way and into the Red Sea, well clear of the pirate area. During the two days we were in the Gulf of Aden more ships were attacked one only 12 miles from our position. We also saw a collection of the dreaded skiffs waiting near Bab El Mendep (Entrance to the Red Sea) and one passed quite close ahead.

[robpage]

Just reading this made me think , are those couple of UK sailors kidnapped of their yacht still captives ? . I Dont remember reading that they had been freed , and they must be in a poor state of health by now ! . Trouble is whilst the election and its aftermath go on no UK press will bother with things like this ,

[Archie Coulter]

Yes I believe they still captive. But are allowed to be with each other previously they had been kept
seperate. What an awful situation for them to be in especially as they dont have much money themselves and the government will not give in to ransom demands.

[alf corbyn]

hi lads.i definatly agree with the government as regards ransom but whats wrong with our so called navy.just one assult ship with SAS on board and wipe the lot out. go with public opinion and take the lot out, then go into somalia and sort them out. otherwise arm all ships going into the area with weapons and fight them . alf

[wilky]

Hi Archie, I know I`m a bit late in saying this but welcome aboard. You where`nt on the Mahinabank in 2007 by any chance where you . A good mate of mine bought a round the world ticket with Bank line. He sailed out on the mahinabank . His name is Richard Fountain.

[Archie Coulter]

Hello Wilky,
Thanks for the welcome message. No I wasnt on the Mahinabank in 2007 but the other Captain
Ken Mulholland who I know quite well may have been. I was on the Mahinabank from March till July 2009
which proved to be the last round the world voyage in Bank line(Andrew Weir). After I left, the ship did 3/4 of the next voayage but unfortunately when she got to Sigapore instead of heading accross the Bay of Bengal to Suez she turned right and headed up to a be scrapped in Bangladesh. The other three ships on the run suffered the same fate due to greedy bankers causing a down turn in world trade and subsequent off hiring by the charterer of all four vessels. Nice !! as I had only just joined and wouldnt have minded carring on for a few years on that round the world route.

Best regards,

Archie