The Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) Maritime Administrator received a report today of an attempted pirate attack at approximately 2006 GMT in the Gulf of Guinea at the following coordinates:
Latitude 04 01 20 N
Longitude 005 06 12 E.
A skiff twice tried to approach while opening fire at the vessel. The Master dispatched all crew to the Citadel and remained on the Bridge with one the Chief Engineer, increasing the speed of the vessel to the maximum. The skiff eventually drove off. All crew are reported safe.
The Administrator urges all vessels operating in the region to actively implement appropriate Best Management Practices for anti-piracy measures, continue to maintain a heightened state of awareness, maintain strict 24 hour anti-piracy visual and radar watches, and report all attacks and suspicious sightings to the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre (24 hours anti-piracy helpline: +603 2031 0014, Email: piracy@icc-ccs.org, Telex: MA 34199).