1. THIS MARAD ADVISORY PROVIDES GUIDANCE FOR TRANSITTING THE GULF OF ADEN, RED SEA, AND THE INDIAN OCEAN

2. ANTICIPATE AN INCREASE IN PIRACY ATTACKS NOW THROUGH LATE DECEMBER DUE TO CALMER WEATHER FAVORABLE FOR SMALL BOAT ACTIVITY.

3. ALL U.S.- FLAG SHIPS OPERATING IN HIGH RISK WATERS SHALL COMPLY WITH US COAST GUARD MARITIME SECURITY (MARSEC) DIRECTIVE 104-6 (REV 2). GUIDANCE, ADVISORIES AND LINKS TO ASSIST US-FLAG VESSELS IN COMPLYING WITH THE MARSEC DIRECTIVE AND IN COMBATING PIRACY MAY BE ACCESSED ON HOMEPORT AT HTTP://HOMEPORT.USCG.MIL UNDER “ANTI-PIRACY.” QUESTIONS MAY BE DIRECTED TO LCDR JAMES FOGLE, US COAST GUARD, AT 202-372-1038 ORJAMES.T.FOGLE@USCG.MIL. NONE OF THE GUIDANCE IN THIS NOTICE IS MEANT TO SUPERCEDE MARSEC 104-6 (REV 2) OR SUPPORTING PORT SECURITY ADVISORIES.

4. NON-US FLAG VESSELS, TO WHICH THE US COAST GUARD MARSEC DIRECTIVE DOES NOT APPLY, SHOULD BE AWARE AND CONSIDER MEASURES DIRECTED TO US FLAG VESSELS. THIS GUIDANCE IS AVAILABLE IN US COAST GUARD PORT SECURITY ADVISORY (PSA) 2-09 ON HTTP://HOMEPORT.USCG.MIL UNDER “ANTI-PIRACY.”

5. ALL U.S.-FLAG SHIPS REQUIRED BY REGULATION TO FILE AMVER POSITION REPORTS AND OPERATING IN THE GULF OF ADEN AND THE INDIAN OCEAN SHALL FILE AMVER REPORTS EVERY 24 HOURS IN LIEU OF EVERY 48 HOURS. THE CHANGE IS DIRECTED BY THE MARITIME ADMINISTRATOR IN ACCORDANCE WITH 46 CFR PART 307.11. THIS IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS A WAR ZONE DECLARATION.

6. ALL U.S.-FLAG OPERATORS WITH SHIPS IN THE AFFECTED AREAS ARE REQUESTED TO FORWARD THIS ADVISORY TO THEIR SHIPS BY THE MOST EXPEDITIOUS MEANS.

7. SINCE AUGUST 2008 THE NUMBER OF PIRATE ATTACKS ON MERCHANT SHIPS THROUGHOUT THE GULF OF ADEN (GOA) AND OFF THE EAST COAST OF AFRICA, PARTICULARLY SOMALIA, HAS INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY. THE MAJORITY OF THE PIRATE ATTACKS ARE CLUSTERED ALONG THE SHIPPING LANES IN THE GOA BUT MORE RECENTLY IN 2009, THERE HAS BEEN AN INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF ATTACKS WELL TO THE EAST OF THE HORN OF AFRICA (HOA) INCLUDING ATTACKS 500 NM OR MORE OFF THE COAST. IT IS CLEAR THAT ANY VESSEL TRAVELING BETWEEN THE SEYCHELLES AND THE EAST COAST OF AFRICA IS SUBJECT TO AS MUCH OF A THREAT AS A VESSEL TRAVELING THROUGH THE GOA AND SHOULD TAKE AS MUCH CARE IN PLANNING AND PREPARING FOR POTENTIAL ATTACKS. VIGILANCE SHOULD BE HIGHEST AT FIRST LIGHT AND LAST LIGHT AS THE MAJORITY OF ATTACKS OCCUR DURING THESE PERIODS. ATTACKS HOWEVER, HAVE TAKEN PLACE AT ALL TIMES OF THE DAY AND MORE RECENTLY DURING NIGHT HOURS, PARTICULARLY WITH MOONLIGHT’ THEREFORE VIGILANCE MUST BE MAINTAINED AT ALL TIMES. ANALYSIS OF SUCCESSFUL ATTACKS CONTINUES TO INDICATE THAT THE FOLLOWING COMMON VULNERABILITIES ARE EXPLOITED BY THE PIRATES: LOW SPEED, LOW FREEBOARD, INADEQUATE PLANNING AND PROCEDURES, VISIBLY LOW STATE OF ALERT AND/OR EVIDENT SELF PROTECTIVE MEASURES AND WHERE A SLOW RESPONSE BY THE SHIP IS EVIDENT.

8. ON 22 AUGUST 2008, COMBINED MARITIME FORCES (CMF) ESTABLISHED THE MARITIME SECURITY PATROL AREA (MSPA) IN THE GOA. THE MSPA WAS ESTABLISHED IN SUPPORT OF THE INTERNATIONAL MARITIME ORGANIZATION’S (IMO) ONGOING EFFORTS TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF SHIPS AND MARINERS AT SEA. THE MSPA IS A NAVAL MILITARY TERM FOR USE BY WARSHIPS WHEN COMMUNICATING WITH EACH OTHER AND IS A GEOGRAPHIC REGION IN THE GOA UTILIZED BY CMF AND POSITIONED TO MAXIMIZE DEPLOYMENT OF AVAILABLE FORCES IN AREAS OF HIGH RISK. COALITION FORCES PATROL THE MSPA ON A ROUTINE BASIS. THE MSPA IS NOT MARKED OR DEFINED BY VISUAL NAVIGATIONAL MEANS.

9. ON 01 FEBRUARY 2009, CMF IN COOPERATION WITH THE EUROPEAN UNION NAVAL FORCE (EUNAVFOR) “ATALANTA” AND THE UNITED KINGDOM MARITIME TRADE OFFICE (UKMTO) ESTABLISHED THE INTERNATIONALLY RECOMMENDED TRANSIT CORRIDOR (IRTC) THROUGH THE GOA. THIS REVISED CORRIDOR WAS INTENDED TO DECONFLICT COMMERCIAL TRANSIT TRAFFIC WITH YEMINI FISHERMEN, PROVIDE A MEASURE OF TRAFFIC SEPARATION, AND ALLOW MARITIME FORCES TO CONDUCT DETERRENT OPERATIONS IN THE GOA WITH A GREATER DEGREE OF FLEXIBILITY.

10. THE IRTC INCLUDES SEPARATE EAST-BOUND AND WEST-BOUND TRANSIT LANES. EACH LANE IS 5 NM WIDE, SEPARATED BY A 2 NM BUFFER ZONE. THE EAST-BOUND LANE BEGINS AT 045 EAST BETWEEN 11 48 NORTH AND 11 53 NORTH. THE LANE IS ORIENTED ALONG A STRAIGHT LINE COURSE OF 072 DEGREES AND TERMINATES AT 053 DEGREES EAST BETWEEN 14 18 NORTH AND 14 23 NORTH. THE WEST- BOUND LANE BEGINS AT 053 DEGREES EAST BETWEEN 14 25 NORTH AND 14 30 NORTH. THE LANE IS ORIENTED ALONG A COURSE OF 252 AND TERMINATES AT 045 DEGREES EAST BETWEEN 11 55 NORTH AND 12 00 NORTH. THE IRTC IS NOT MARKED OR DEFINED BY VISUAL NAVIGATIONAL MEANS, NOR IS IT INTENDED TO BE A DEDICATED TRAFFIC SEPARATION SCHEME. IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE MARSEC DIRECTIVE AND PORT SECURITY ADVISORY (PSA) 2-09, UNLESS OTHERWISE DIRECTED OR ADVISED BY ON-SCENE MILITARY FORCES, ALL U.S. FLAG SHIPS NAVIGATING THROUGH THE GOA SHALL PLAN VOYAGES USING THE IRTC AND FOLLOW THE GOA GROUP TRANSIT (GT) IF SPEED RANGES FROM 10 TO 18 KNOTS. VESSELS THAT MAKE LESS THAN 10 KNOTS SHALL CONTACT UKMTO FOR ROUTING GUIDANCE. INFORMATION ON IRTC AND GOA GT CAN BE FOUND ON THE MSC-HOA WEB SITE.

11. THE MSPA SHOULD NOT BE CONFUSED WITH THE GOA IRTC. THE IRTC IS THE RECOMMENDED PATH THROUGH THE GOA TO ALLOW MINIMAL RESPONSE TIME TO ATTACKS. MSPA PATROLS ARE INTENDED TO MONITOR ACTIVITY BOTH INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE IRTC.

12. CMF, IN COOPERATION WITH FORCES FROM NATO, THE EUROPEAN UNION (EU), CHINA, INDIA, MALAYSIA, RUSSIA, JAPAN, KOREA AND INDONESIA CONTINUE TO PATROL IN THE MSPA AND HAVE HAD SOME SUCCESS IN DETERRING ATTACKS ON MERCHANT SHIPPING. A FAR GREATER NUMBER OF ATTACKS HAVE BEEN THWARTED THROUGH DEFENSIVE AND PROTECTIVE MEASURES TAKEN BY COMMERCIAL AND CIVILIAN SHIPS PRIOR TO ENTERING AND DURING TRANSIT THROUGH THE AREA. DESPITE THE INCREASE IN PRESENCE AND EFFECTIVENESS OF NAVAL FORCES IN THE REGION, AS WELL AS THE EFFECTIVENESS OF DEFENSIVE AND PROTECTIVE MEASURES, PIRATE ACTIVITY HAS CONTINUED AND A NUMBER OF COMMERCIAL AND CIVILIAN SHIPS HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFULLY ATTACKED AND SEIZED. THERE ARE INDICATIONS THAT PIRATES IN THE AREA CONTINUE TO ADAPT THEIR TECHNIQUES AND PROCEDURES IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE SUCCESS IN CAPTURING VESSELS, BOTH IN THE GOA AS WELL AS IN THE OPEN OCEAN OFF THE EAST COAST OF AFRICA, PARTICULARLY IN THE INCREASED DISTANCES THAT THEY ARE ABLE TO OPERATE EFFECTIVELY OFF THE EAST COAST OF SOMALIA POTENTIALLY UTILIZING MOTHER SHIPS. NAVAL VESSELS PATROLLING THE MSPA PROVIDE A MEASURE OF DETERRENCE THROUGH THEIR PRESENCE, BUT THIS IS LIMITED DUE TO THE VAST AREA OF THE GOA AND IS EVEN LESS EFFECTIVE IN THE OPEN WATERS EAST OF SOMALIA. GIVEN THE HIGH VOLUME OF SHIPPING IN THE REGION, THE SAFETY OF ALL SHIPS CANNOT BE GUARANTEED DUE TO THE OFTEN LONG RESPONSE TIMES DUE TO THE CONSIDERABLE DISTANCES INVOLVED. MASTERS ARE THEREFORE ADVISED TO CONTINUE TO EMPLOY ALL AVAILABLE DEFENSIVE MEASURES TO MAKE THEIR VESSELS LESS VULNERABLE TO ATTACK WHEN OPERATING IN THE GOA AND OFF THE EAST COAST OF AFRICA.

13. WHENEVER POSSIBLE, VESSELS SHOULD AVOID ROUTES THAT TRANSIT THROUGH AREAS WHERE ATTACKS ARE KNOWN TO HAVE TAKEN PLACE. IN LIGHT OF THE RECENT INCREASED THREAT TO VESSELS TRANSITING OFF THE EAST COAST OF AFRICA, ADVICE TO MASTERS IS THAT UNLESS THEY SPECIFICALLY HAVE BUSINESS TO CONDUCT ON THE EAST COAST OF AFRICA THEY ARE STRONGLY ADVISED TO AVOID THOSE HIGH RISK WATERS DESIGNATED IN US COAST GUARD MARSEC DIRECTIVE 104-6(REV 2). EVEN NEAR HIGH RISK WATERS, VESSELS SHOULD TAKE ALL NECESSARY PRECAUTIONS TO AVOID, DETER AND DELAY POTENTIAL PIRATE ATTACKS.

14. DUE TO THE PIRATES’ INCREASED RESOLVE AND ADAPTABILITY, CONTINUOUS RISK ASSESSMENTS ARE ENCOURAGED. ALL VESSELS SHOULD CONDUCT A PRE-VOYAGE RISK ASSESSMENT WHEN PLANNING TRANSITS THROUGH HIGH-RISK WATERS, ESPECIALLY IN CASES WHERE SPEED AND MANEUVERABILITY LIMITATIONS AND LOW FREEBOARD MAKE A SHIP PARTICULARLY VULNERABLE. OWNERS AND MASTERS SHOULD ENSURE THE VESSELS ARE PREPARED FOR POSSIBLE ATTACK AND ALL CREW AND PASSENGERS SHOULD FULLY UNDERSTAND PROCEDURES REQUIRED TO PROTECT THE VESSEL AND THEMSELVES IN THE EVENT OF AN ATTACK.

15. IN ADDITION TO COMMUNICATIONS REQUIRED IN THE COAST GUARD MARSEC DIRECTIVE, MASTERS SHOULD REMAIN IN CONTACT WITH THE UNITED KINGDOM MARITIME TRADE OPERATIONS (UKMTO) AND THE UNITED STATES MARITIME LIAISON OFFICE (MARLO) TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT POSSIBLE. THE EU HAS ESTABLISHED A WEB-BASED RESOURCE FOR SHIPS TO RECEIVE THE LATEST ALERTS AND TO REGISTER VESSELS PRIOR TO TRANSITING HIGH RISK AREAS IN THE REGION. IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE MARSEC DIRECTIVE, OWNERS AND OPERATORS OF U.S. FLAG VESSELS THAT OPERATE IN THE HOA/GOA SHALL REGISTER WITH THE MARITIME SECURITY CENTRE - HORN OF AFRICA (MSC-HOA), AT WWW.MSCHOA.ORG. ADDITIONALLY, THEY SHALL ESTABLISH CONTACT BY E-MAIL OR PHONE WITH UKMTO AT UKMTO@EIM.AE.

16. THE FOLLOWING RECOMMENDATIONS REMAIN IN EFFECT FOR ALL VESSELS:

a. DEMONSTRATE A WILLINGNESS TO DEFEND YOURSELF. DO NOT PRESENT AN ATTRACTIVE TARGET FOR ATTACK AND DO NOT SURRENDER IMMEDIATELY AT THE FIRST SIGN OF A THREAT.

b. EMPLOY SPEED AND MANEUVER TO AVOID ATTACK. CONDUCT TRANSIT OF HIGH THREAT AREAS AT MAXIMUM SUSTAINABLE SPEED AT ALL TIMES. MAINTAIN A FULL VISUAL AND RADAR WATCH THROUGHOUT TRANSIT. PROVIDE EXTRA LOOKOUTS IF POSSIBLE, ESPECIALLY DURING DAYLIGHT HOURS. LOOKOUTS SHOULD BE POSITIONED TO ENSURE A 360 DEGREE UNOBSTRUCTED FIELD OF VIEW WITH FULL VIEW OF ALL FREEBOARD AREAS. AVOID TRANSITING NEAR SMALL BOATS WHENEVER POSSIBLE. IT MAY BE DIFFICULT TO DISTINGUISH FISHING BOATS FROM PIRATE VESSELS, BUT TRANSITING NEAR SMALL BOATS, MOST OF WHICH ARE FISHING BOATS, MAY BE UNAVOIDABLE AT TIMES DUE TO THE SHEER NUMBER OF SMALL BOATS IN THE REGION. ACTIVELY WATCH FOR DEVELOPING RULES OF THE ROAD SITUATIONS AND TAKE EARLY ACTION TO INCREASE CPAS. AFT LOOKOUTS MUST BE PARTICULARLY VIGILANT FOR SMALL BOATS APPROACHING FROM ASTERN. MANEUVER AGGRESSIVELY IF UNDER ATTACK. MANEUVER TO REMOVE ANY LEE FROM EITHER SIDE OF SHIP (SEA STATE DEPENDENT). IF ENGINEERING OR OTHER TECHNICAL PROBLEMS CAUSE REDUCED SPEED, IMMEDIATELY ACTIVATE DEFENSIVE MEASURES TO REDUCE VULNERABILITY.

c. ADOPT DEFENSIVE MEASURES OUTLINED IN THE US COAST GUARD MARSEC DIRECTIVE AND PSA 2-09. TAKE ALL PRECAUTIONS DETAILED FOR SPEED AND MANEUVER. TAKE DEFENSIVE PRECAUTIONS PRIOR TO ENTERING HIGH THREAT AREAS, INCLUDING RIGGING FIRE HOSES, AND RAISING OUTBOARD EQUIPMENT AND/OR POSITIONING IT INBOARD. CONSIDER OTHER NON-LETHAL MEASURES SUCH AS FOCUSED SONIC DEVICES AND FLARES.

d. IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE US COAST GUARD MARSEC DIRECTIVE, U.S. FLAG VESSELS THAT OPERATE IN HIGH RISK WATERS SHOULD CONSIDER SUPPLEMENTING VESSEL’S CREW WITH ARMED OR UNARMED SECURITY PERSONNEL. IF TRANSITING THE HOA/GOA, ALL VESSELS SHALL SUPPLEMEMENT VESSEL’S CREW WITH ARMED OR UNARMED SECURITY PERSONNEL BASED ON A PIRACY-SPECIFIC VESSEL THREAT ASSESSMENT CONDUCTED BY THE OPERATOR. SUPPLEMENTAL SECURITY PERSONNEL SHOULD MET THE MINIMUM TRAINING REQUIREMENTS AND GUIDELINES SET FORTH IN PSA (5-09)(REV 1).

e. IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE US COAST GUARD MARSEC DIRECTIVE AND PSA 2-09, AS SOON AS THE MASTER THINKS A THREAT IS DEVELOPING, CONTACT UKMTO AT +971-50-552-3215. IF ATTACKED OR BOARDED, MASTERS SHOULD ACTIVATE THE SHIP SECURITY ALERT SYSTEM (SSAS)..BROADCAST ATTACKS IMMEDIATELY ON ALL AVAILABLE RADIO CIRCUITS, ADJUST SPEED AND MANEUVER, AND ACTIVATE ALL AVAILABLE DEFENSIVE MEASURES. DO NOT IMMEDIATELY SURRENDER UPON APPROACH OF SUSPECTED PIRATE BOATS. ATTACKS HAVE BEEN THWARTED IN MANY CASES WHERE DEFENSIVE MEASURES WERE USED AND THE VESSELS BECAME DIFFICULT TARGETS. AN ATTACK HAS EVEN BEEN SUCCESSFULLY THWARTED WHEN PIRATES WERE ABLE TO BOARD A SHIP BUT WERE UNABLE TO GAIN ACCESS TO THE SUPERSTRUCTURE DUE TO THE CAREFUL PREPARATIONS OF THE CREW IN SECURING ALL ACCESS POINTS.

f. ADDITIONAL GUIDANCE REGARDING PRACTICES RECOMMENDED FOR MARINERS OPERATING IN VICINITY OF HIGH RISK AREAS HAVE BEEN PUBLISHED BY INTERNATIONAL MARITIME ORGANIZATION (IMO) REVISED MARITIME SAFETY COMMITTEE (MSC) CIRCULARS. THESE DOCUMENTS CAN BE ACCESSED VIA IMO WEBSITE AT THE FOLLOWING INTERNET ADDRESS: WWW.IMO.ORG/SAFETY/MAINFRAME.ASP?TOPIC_ID=1147

17. ALL VESSELS ARE ADVISED TO CHECK IN WITH UKMTO AT LEAST 96 HOURS PRIOR TO ENTERING THE IRTC THROUGH THE GOA. CHECK IN AGAIN UPON ENTERING THE CORRIDOR AND CHECK OUT UPON EXITING THE CORRIDOR. WHILE IN HIGH RISK WATERS OFF THE HORN OF AFRICA IT IS RECOMMENDED TO REPORT VESSEL POSITIONS TO UKMTO A MINUMUM OF EVERY 6 HOURS.
18. THE FOLLOWING IS THE UKMTO REPORT FORMAT:
a. SHIP NAME:
1. IRCS:
2. IMO #:
3. CARGO:
4. LAST PORT:
5. NOON POSITION (GMT):
6. NEXT PORT:
7. ADDITIONAL PORTS:
8. SECURITY TEAM ABOARD(Y/N):
9. REPORTING VIA AMVER?:
10. PUBLICATION 117 ABOARD?:
11. PRESENT POSITION:

19. ESCORT SERVICE MAY BE REQUESTED FOR VESSELS BY CONTACTING MARLO BAHRAIN, TELEPHONE +973-973-3927, OR BY E-MAIL TO MARLO.BAHRAIN (AT) ME.NAVY.MIL.

20. IF ATTACKED OR BOARDED BY PIRATES, COMMUNICATIONS MUST BE LIMITED TO DISTRESS CALLING AND RESPONSE COORDINATION PER THE VESSEL SECURITY PLAN. IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE MARSEC DIRECTIVE AND PSA 2-09, INFORMATION ABOUT THE VESSEL’S MOVEMENT, CAPABILITIES, OR THE INCIDENT ITSELF SHOULD BE CONSIDERED SENSITIVE SECURITY INFORMATION AND SHOULD NOT BE RELEASED TO FAMILY, FRIENDS OR THE MEDIA.

21. U.S. FLAG VESSELS ARE ENCOURAGED TO CONTACT THE MARITIME ADMINISTRATION, OFFICE OF SECURITY FOR ANTI-PIRACY TEAM ASSESSMENTS OF VESSELS.

22. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT MARITIME LIAISON OFFICE (MARLO) BAHRAIN, TELEPHONE +973-1785-3925, OR +973-3940-1395 FOR AFTER HOURS EMERGENCIES (IF IN DOUBT OF THE TIME, CALL BOTH UNTIL YOU REACH A PERSON), OR BY E-MAIL TO MARLO.BAHRAIN (AT) ME.NAVY.MIL, OR THE UK MARITIME TRADE ORGANIZATION (UKMTO) AT +971-50-552-3215 OR BY EMAIL TO UKMTO (AT) EIM.AE., OR MSC-HOA AT +44-0-1923-958545 OR BY EMAIL TO POSTMASTER (AT) MSCHOA.ORG.

23. THIS ADVISORY WILL BE PUBLISHED ON THE MARAD WEB SITE AT WWW.MARAD.DOT.GOV UNDER THE HORN OF AFRICA PIRACY PORTAL AND ON THE US COAST GUARD HOMEPORT SITE. OTHER PERTINENT INFORMATION IS ALSO POSTED ON THESE THE WEB SITES.

24. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION REGARDING THIS ADVISORY, CONTACT MR. DOHERTY, MARITIME ADMINISTRATION, OFFICE OF SECURITY, CODE: MAR-420, ROOM W23-312, 1200 NEW JERSEY AVE, S.E., WASHINGTON, DC 20590, TELEPHONE 202-366-1883, FACSIMILE 202-366-3954, TLX II 710.822.9426 (MARAD DOT WSH), OR EMAIL: MARADSECURITY@DOT.GOV

25. FOR FUTHER INFORMATION ON THE US COAST GUARD MARSEC DIRECTIVE AND PSA 2-09, CONTACT LCDR JAMES FOGLE AT TELEPHONE 202-372-1038, OR EMAIL JAMES.T.FOGLE@USCG.MIL.

26. CANCEL ADVISORIES 2009-02, 2009-04, 2009-05, AND 2009-06