Current Situation With Piracy -- Horn of Africa

[Copacabana]

Dockhead, I wonder if attacks on cruising boats are down simply because so few cruising boats are attempting the route these days. It would be interesting to know just how many boats do the route each year (especially over the last years). I know that attacks on commercial shipping are down, but perhaps it's also due to the measures ships have taken to protect themselves (and the military presence to protect shipping, of course).

[boatman61]

Its always been my impression that a circumnavigation involved rounding the 5 great capes.. not avoiding them all.
Seems very few who claim the 'achievement' tackle any these days, and that single 'one' is thanks to piracy.

[UFO]

Got all the up to date info here:


https://www.asket.co.uk/news-intelligence

[maxingout]

Originally Posted by BaledAlSalaam

Are they planning to visit Oman by chance? A visit should be included in any circumnavigation in my opinion

There is currently one cruiser here in Muscat who is contemplating to either sail or transport. Currently transporting is only possible from Dubai to Genoa. But one of the things we were discussing the other day is to try set up a system where boats can be transported from Salalah to, for example, Sharm al Sheikh or maybe Port Said.

Recently I was told various cruisers did crossed thru the Red Sea successfully and that most piracy has shifted to Africa's west coast but thats all hear-say on my part.

However please feel very welcome to visit Oman where you will only be greeted by friendly fisherman!

We loved visiting Oman stopping in Salalah on our trip up the Red Sea. We also visited Oman in our Landrover Defender when I worked in Arabia. Driving in the fjords of Musandam are unforgettable. My good friend, Mark Evans, is the head of Outward Bound in Muscat and the Shargiya Sands center. Oman is awesome.

Here is a you tube video of us in Oman. The same page has five videos of sailing up the Red Sea.

https://youtu.be/CylbiJ2WFZE

[mako]

Originally Posted by IslandHopper

Check UKMTO Weekly Report 17 - 23 Feb 2018, thats the Noonsite one you found, interesting conclusion they made about the attempt....

I didn't know we're supposed to throw coins at an airplane before boarding for good luck

A few years ago I negotiated with a Maersk agent to ship a 50ft motorboat from Jebel Ali (UAE) to the Red Sea (Saudi) for $10,000. I calculated that would be less cost than the fuel, airline tickets and such I would have incurred.

It might even be cheaper if you started from Salalah. Check around.

[mikereed100]

Even though the current state of affairs offers an improvement on the past, I doubt that any passage through the Gulf of Aden would be pleasant. Speaking for myself, I would be under a constant state of stress, worried about the safety of myself and crew due to factors that are entirely out of my control. I would much rather confront the challenges of sailing around the Cape of Good Hope than the prospect of becoming a hostage.

[lifgun]

I’ve been sailed up a year ago from Richards Bay to Suez ... At least I didn’t recognize any signs of piracy and arrived save in Suez. Check out www.lifgun.com for more information

[AiniA]

When we were faced with this decision the Red Sea route was decidedly not a good idea so we went to South Africa. Loved the places that this route allowed us to visit - South Africa for the game parks and history, Namibia, and St Helena. This part of our rtw was a highlight for sure. The bit from Mauritius to Richards Bay is not to be taken lightly but the steps along the SA coast were easy and pleasant as long as you pay attention to the weather forecasts. Also, the trip from Cocos-Keeling to Mauritius was the best sailing of my life. One vote for the South Africa route.

[GordMay]

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[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Copacabana

Dockhead, I wonder if attacks on cruising boats are down simply because so few cruising boats are attempting the route these days. It would be interesting to know just how many boats do the route each year (especially over the last years). I know that attacks on commercial shipping are down, but perhaps it's also due to the measures ships have taken to protect themselves (and the military presence to protect shipping, of course).

Indeed, that's an important question, and why I asked not only how many attacks are happening, but also whether a lot of boats are going through.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by lifgun

I’ve been sailed up a year ago from Richards Bay to Suez ... At least I didn’t recognize any signs of piracy and arrived save in Suez. Check out www.lifgun.com for more information

Thanks -- good data point for my friends.


Finally arrived in Suez — Lifgun


I'd like to see those places. I believe I would have stopped in Djibouti though.

[carstenb]

Hi all,

We're the friends Dockhead is speaking of - since we are currently in Polynesia, this decision doesn't need to be made for another two years, we still need to sail to New Zealand and Australia.

ON our blog, svcapri.com I described the various options as we see them, pacific loop, round Cape Hope and round Cape Horn and shipping the boat from thailand.

certainly purists will say we didn't circumnavigate - and so what? the purpose of this 7-8 year sailing sojourn is to have fun, see exotic places and arrive SAFELY back in Denmark at some point.
There are many, many fantastic places to see where there is no piracy problem - so why go looking for that type of danger?

Personally I would love to do the pacific loop - it would be a true adventure, but adding 3 more years to the 8 already planned probably just isn't in the works.

But I can assure you - unless the armed forces in the gulf of Aden proclaim that there is no danger of piracy - then we will not sail through there

carsten & vinni

[Paul L]

Another recent report

[S/V Alchemy]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

You are a great ambassador for your country!


A good friend of mine lived in Oman for 2 years in the '90s, and loved it, and told a lot of fascinating stories. Those of us who have never been there tend to think of the Gulf region as a homogeneous place with baking hot sand and camels and not much else but a few palm trees. But this is obviously not true, and Oman is obvious quite different in geography and even culture.

Definitely on my list of places to visit and see for myself.

A friend of mine, who happens to be Chinese-Canadian in her 30s, travelled to Oman and found it fascinating. I believe she wore a headscarf in deference to local custom, but she had zero problems with the locals and really enjoyed her trip.

[CFS Klopas]

The military agency that handles this issue reports a decrease in attacks from 176 in 2011 to two (2) last year, neither of which was successful. Table at the bottom of the page: https://eunavfor.eu