1.      Foreword. This IRTB has been written by EU NAVFOR and Combined Maritime Forces (CMF). It is intended to inform risk management decision making for shipping operators responsible for merchant vessels that are transiting through the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden (GoA), Gulf of Oman (GoO) and the Western Indian Ocean.

2.      The purpose of an Industry Releasable Threat Bulletin (IRTB) is to provide a specific update to industry on events that may require military advice above and beyond the overarching Industry Releasable Threat Assessment. The information contained in the IRTBs will be incorporated into the IRTA at the next opportunity.

3.      Incident/identifier. 22 Feb 18 MT LEOPARD SUN.

4.      Date/time. 222102Z Feb 18.

5.      Location. 157nm off the coast of Somalia (East of Hobyo). The attack on MT LEOPARD SUN

took place in position 03 26N, 050 27E.

7. Event Description. On 22 February, at 2102Z (0002L 23 FEB), MT LEOPARD SUN, came

under attack from 2 skiffs in position 03 26N – 050 27E, approximately 157nm East of Somalia. The skiffs approached the vessel from the stern, firing multiple rounds, some of which struck the super– structure of the vessel. The embarked Private Armed Security Team (PAST) returned fire with one of the skiffs as it closed to within 100m of the MT. During this phase the other skiff was reported to be at a distance of 250m from the vessel. The attack lasted for approximately 27 minutes and upon the initial engagement the MT sounded its alarm and mustered the crew in the citadel in line with BMP security practices. The incident was reported as closed by UKMTO (via Mercury) at 2236Z (0136L).

10. Comment.

a. This incident serves as a timely reminder that through the effective implementation of BMP measures and procedures, combined with a continued presence of international naval forces, piracy has been suppressed – not eradicated. It is LIKELY that criminal pirate networks will continue to seek opportunistic targets when weather conditions are favorable and as such continued vigilance and adherence to BMP measures is vital.

b. The incident highlights that the BMP measures put in place by industry remain fit for purpose; the high standard of implementation by MT LEOPARD SUN is to be commended. In this instance the vigilance of the crew, the presence of a PAST and the implementation of BMP measures denied the potential pirates the opportunity to attempt a boarding.

c. This incident also highlights the importance of reporting all suspicious incidents to UKMTO at the time they are observed. d. This incident has common attributes with the incidents involving the MV EVER DYNAMIC and the FV GALERNA III in November 20171 and serves as a reminder that the potential threat from piracy is not solely limited to the coastal areas of Somali and the Gulf of Aden. This event took place some distance from the Somali coast (157nm) and demonstrates the capability of PAGs to operate well into the Indian Ocean.

11. Assessment. This information is assessed as HIGHLY LIKELY to be an attempted pirate attack. Whilst it cannot be completely discounted that the incident may have been related to local fishing activity we assess this to be HIGHLY UNLIKELY. 12. Due to the difficulty and risk associated with targeting a vessel in the hours of darkness we assess that this was most likely an opportunistic attack, rather than a deliberate attempt to conduct an attack under the cover of darkness, and as such is UNLIKELY to mark a deliberate evolution of tactics. This possibility of a tactical evolution cannot however be completely dismissed; further trend analysis will be necessary to understand the significance of this attack.

Source: EUNAVFOR 20180228-irtb-004-(irta-1-mar-18)-v3-0-eu-navfor-cmf