Marine Security Advisory: 09/2009 - Anti-Piracy Distress Calling, Emergency Contact Information and Reporting Procedures for Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea& Northern Indian Ocean

December 7, 2009

MARITIME SECURITYADVISORY – 9/2009

This Security Advisory supersedes “Maritime Security Advisory – 11/2008”

SUBJECT: Anti-Piracy Distress Calling, Emergency Contact Information and Reporting Procedures for Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea& Northern Indian Ocean

Dear Owners/Operators/Company Security officers/Masters:

This Security Advisory provides anti-piracy distress calling procedures for Liberian flagged vessels transiting the Gulf of Aden/Red Sea/Arabian Sea/Northern Indian Ocean (Affected Area) and information regarding voluntary reporting schemes.

In order to improve responsiveness to any type of incident and to save time if assistance is required, the Liberian Administration strongly encourages Masters to abide by the following procedures and participate in the voluntary reporting schemes described below.

1. Imminent Attack

Should an attack appear imminent:

1. Contact UKMTO 24 hr Duty Officer Phone at +971 50 552 3215, Email: UKMTO@eim.ae
2. Activate the SSAS (Ship Security Alert System)
3. Make a ‘Mayday’ call on VHF – 16 (and backup channel 08 which is monitored by the Naval units) and send a distress message via MF/HF DSC and Inmarsat C, as applicable.
4. If no answer call MARLO Bahrain 24 hour Duty Officer phone at +973 3940 1395, Email: Marlo.Bahrain@me.navy.mil
5. Contact CSO in accordance with SSP/company procedures.

2. Suspected Piracy Activity

In the event of suspected pirate activity:

1. Contact UKMTO (Phone at +971 50 552 3215, Email: UKMTO@eim.ae) and/or MARLO (+973 39401395, Email: Marlo.Bahrain@me.navy.mil)
2. Contact CSO in accordance with SSP/company procedures;

3. Contact Maritime Security Centre Horn of Africa (MSCHOA): +44 1923 958545, fax. +44 1923 958520 postmaster@mschoa.org,

4. Contact the IMB 24/7 Hotline at Telephone: + 603 2031 0014, E-Mail: imbsecurity@icc-ccs.org (imbkl@icc-ccs.org or piracy@icc-ccs.org)

If there is conclusive evidence that the safety of the ship is threatened, make an “All Stations” “Urgent Message” preceded by the appropriate Urgency signal (PAN PAN) via VHF, Inmarsat and/or DSC using the “all ships urgency” category.

3. Registration and Reporting to MSCHOA

1. It is strongly recommended to register for access to the restricted sections of the MSCHOA website and to review the information contained therein.

1. 4-5 days before the vessel enters the International Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC), or before navigating within the area bounded by the African Coast, 12 degrees North, 58 degrees

East and 10 Degrees South, ensure that a ‘Vessel Movement Registration’ submission has been logged with MSCHOA Online: www.mschoa.org, email: postmaster@mschoa.org or Fax. +44 (0) 1923 958520. Note: This can be done by either the ship or the company.

4. Reporting Scheme When Entering the Affected Area

Masters of Liberian flagged vessels are strongly encouraged to participate in the Merchant Vessel Voluntary Reporting Scheme to improve responsiveness and to save time when assistance is required. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Organization (UKMTO) and the Maritime Liaison Office (MARLO) in Bahrain cooperate with the Coalition Maritime Forces (CMF) and assist the commercial maritime industry to communicate with CMF in the Middle East. Both UKMTO and MARLO pass the position reports of vessels in the affected area to the Combined Task Force (CTF 151) which coordinates the activities of all the warships and NATO forces in the region.

The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) maintains a 24/7 watch system reporting pirate attacks in the area to CMF and issues warnings about hotspots.

4.1. When & Where to Report

Masters of vessels are advised to provide an “Initial Report” to UKMTO Dubai and MARLO (via Email or Fax) when entering the affected area defined below or leaving a port within this area.

o Suez as the Northern boundary; o 10 ºS as the Southern boundary; o 78 º E as the Eastern boundary.

1. MARLO: Email: marlo.bahrain@me.navy.mil or telephone +973 1785 3925.
2. UKMTO email: ukmto@eim.ae; Fax: +971 4 306 5710; or Telex: (51)210473
3. Masters should include the IMB Piracy Reporting Center (PRC) as part of the reporting procedures by mail to imbkl@icc-ccs.org.
4. A copy of the initial report should also be sent to The Liberian Administration at:

security@liscr.com

4.2. Daily Report

After transmitting the initial report to UKMTO Dubai and MARLO, vessels are encouraged to report their noon position, course, speed, estimated and actual arrival times to UKMTO and MARLO whilst operating in the affected area. All times are requested in UTC and the preferred method of communication is email.

Vessels are also encouraged to increase the frequency of such reports when navigating in areas that have been identified as high risk piracy areas (Hot Spots) and further report upon entering and leaving the IRTC.

Final reports should be sent when exiting the affected area.

4.3. Report Message

The initial report should contain the following information: o Vessel Name: o Call Sign; o Flag;

• IMO Number;
• Maritime Mobile Service Identity (MMSI); o Inmarsat telephone number, including satellite prefix;
• Email, Telex, and Fax numbers; o Ship Management Company;

Maritime Security Advisory 9/2009

• Type of Vessel; o Date/Time of current position, course and speed;
• Itinerary in the region with route way points and destination port(s);

For more information please contact the Security Department at telephone + 1 703 251 2469, email security@liscr.com; LISCR Duty Officer + 1 703 963 6216, email dutyofficer@liscr.com

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Maritime Security Advisory 9/2009