Maritime advisory 2017-003

Original warning text

U.S. MARITIME ADVISORY 2017-003.
1. REFERENCE: U.S. MARITIME ALERT MESSAGE 2017-003A.
2. ISSUE: ON 13 MAR, PIRATES HIJACKED AN OIL
   TANKER NEAR THE NORTH COAST OF SOMALIA, MARKING
   THE FIRST SUCCESSFUL PIRACY ATTACK OFF THE COAST
   OF SOMALIA SINCE MAY 2012. SEVERAL ADDITIONAL
   VESSELS HAVE ALSO RECENTLY BEEN BOARDED OR
   HIJACKED WITHIN THE HIGH RISK AREA (HRA) DEFINED
   IN IMO CIRCULAR 3606 AT
   HTTP:WWW.IMO.ORG/EN/OURWORK/SECURITY/
   PIRACYARMEDROBBERY/GUIDANCE/DOCUMENTS/
   CIRCULAR%20LETTER%20NO.3606.PDF.
3. GUIDANCE: WITHIN A 30-DAY PERIOD SPANNING
   MAR THRU APR, THERE HAVE BEEN FOUR
   REPORTED HIJACKINGS AND ONE BOARDING OFF THE
   HORN OF AFRICA. SPECIFIC CASE DETAILS ARE
   AVAILABLE AT THE OFFICE OF NAVAL INTELLIGENCE'S
   "WORLDWIDE THREAT TO SHIPPING" AND "PIRACY
   ANALYSIS AND WARNINGS" WEBSITE AT
   WWW.ONI.NAVY.MIL/INTELLIGENCE-COMMUNITY/PIRACY.
   U.S. FLAG COMMERCIAL VESSELS OPERATING WITHIN
   THE HRA ARE REQUIRED TO COMPLY WITH U.S. COAST
   GUARD MARSEC DIRECTIVE 104-6 DUE TO HIGH RISK
   OF PIRACY, KIDNAPPING, HIJACKING, AND ARMED
   ROBBERY WHILE TRANSITING THIS REGION. VESSELS
   ARE FURTHER ADVISED TO REMAIN AT LEAST
   200 NAUTICAL MILES FROM THE SOMALI COAST TO THE
   EXTENT PRACTICABLE, FOLLOW THE GUIDANCE IN BEST
   MANAGEMENT PRACTICES 4 (WWW.MSCHOA.ORG/DOCS/
   PUBLIC-DOCUMENTS/BMP4-LOW-RES_SEPT_5_2011.PDF?
   SFVRSN=0), AND COMPLY WITH THEIR COAST GUARD
   APPROVED VESSEL SECURITY PLAN ANNEX ON COUNTER
   PIRACY ACTIONS. VESSELS OPERATING IN THIS REGION
   ARE ALSO ADVISED TO ESTABLISH CONTACT WITH THE
   UNITED KINGDOM MARITIME TRADE OFFICE (UKMTO).
   UKMTO ADVISORIES, WARNINGS, AND CONTACT INFO ARE
   AVAILABLE AT WWW.UKMTO.ORG.
4. ALTHOUGH THERE IS CURRENTLY NO SPECIFIC
   INFORMATION INDICATING YACHTS OR SAILING VESSELS
   ARE BEING DIRECTLY TARGETED, TRANSIT BY YACHTS OR
   PRIVATELY OWNED SAILING VESSELS THROUGH THE REGION
   IS EXTREMELY HAZARDOUS AND MAY RESULT IN CAPTURE.
   THE U.S. GOVERNMENT ADVISES AGAINST ALL OPERATION
   OF, OR TRAVEL BY, YACHTS OR PLEASURE CRAFT IN THE
   REGION. VESSELS THAT MAKE THIS PASSAGE DESPITE
   THIS WARNING SHOULD MAKE CONTACT IN ADVANCE WITH
   NAVAL AUTHORITIES.  AMERICAN CITIZENS ABOARD
   SHOULD INFORM THE NEAREST U.S. EMBASSY OR CONSULATE
   OF THEIR PLANS TO TRANSIT THE AREA AND/OR UPDATE
   THEIR INFORMATION VIA THE SMART TRAVELER
   ENROLLMENT PROGRAM (STEP) AT:
   HTTP://STEP.STATE.GOV/. YACHTING GUIDANCE CAN
   BE FOUND AT: HTTP://WWW.MSCHOA.ORG/ON-SHORE/HOME.
5. U.S. FLAG VESSELS THAT OBSERVE SUSPICIOUS
   ACTIVITY IN THE INDIAN OCEAN, GULF OF ADEN,
   ARABIAN SEA, RED SEA, AND GULF OF OMAN ARE
   ADVISED TO REPORT SUCH SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY OR
   ANY HOSTILE OR POTENTIALLY HOSTILE ACTION TO THE
   U.S. NAVAL FORCES CENTRAL COMMAND BATTLE WATCH
   CAPTAIN, PHONE: 11 973 1785 3879,
   E-MAIL: [email protected].  ALL SUSPICIOUS
   ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS MUST ALSO BE REPORTED TO
   THE U.S. COAST GUARD NATIONAL RESPONSE CENTER AT
   PHONE: 800 424 8802 IN ACCORDANCE WITH
   33 C.F.R. 101.305.
6. A SHIP HOSTILE ACTION REPORT (SHAR) SHOULD ALSO
   BE SENT TO THE NATIONAL GEOSPATIAL-INTELLIGENCE
   AGENCY (NGA) AT: http://msi.nga.mil/NGAPortal/
   MSI.portal?_nfpb=true&_st=&_pageLabel=msi_portal_
   page_70&subCode=06 AS SOON AS POSSIBLE FOLLOWING
   AN INCIDENT OR SUSPECTED ACTIVITY (INCLUDING
   APPARENT SURVEILLANCE BEING CONDUCTED BY SMALL
   VESSELS/BOATS). REFERENCE NGA PUB 117 AT
   (http://msi.nga.mil/NGAPortal/MSI.portal?_
   nfpb=true&_pageLabel=msi_portal_page_62&pubCode
   =0009) FOR FURTHER GUIDANCE.
7. CONTACT INFORMATION: FOR ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS
   ADVISORY, CONTACT U.S. MARITIME ADMINISTRATION,
   E-MAIL: [email protected].
8. CANCELLATION OF PRIOR ADVISORIES: THIS MESSAGE
   CANCELS LEGACY MARAD ADVISORIES 2016-014 (GULF
   OF OMAN, NORTH ARABIAN SEA, GULF OF ADEN, BAB
   EL MANDEB), 2011-5 (VESSELS TRANSITING THE HIGH
   RISK WATERS OF THE GULF OF ADEN, RED SEA, INDIAN
   OCEAN, ARABIAN SEA, AND WATERS OFF THE HORN OF
   AFRICA (SOMALIA) AND LEGACY SPECIAL WARNINGS 001
   (REINTRODUCTION OF SPECIAL WARNINGS),
   122 (EAST AFRICA), 123 (SOMALIA), AND 127 (SUDAN).
9. CANCEL THIS MSG 19 OCT 17.