If you’ve read our postings on pirates and listened to The Lessons From The Danica White you’ll know about the motherships used by pirates to launch smaller boats to attack ships. The International Maritime Bureau has released photographs of what it believes may be motherships together with the advice below:
“To all ships transiting the Gulf of Aden
Please be advised that intelligence sources revealed that there are now two suspicious trawlers in the Gulf of Aden believed to be pirate mother vessels looking to attack ships with the intent to hijack.
The description of the suspected trawlers – long white, Russian made stern trawlers with names “BURUM OCEAN or ARENA or ATHENA”. One of the trawlers is believed to be operating at approximately 60 NM NE of Bossasso, Somalia in the Gulf of Aden.
All ships are strongly advised to maintain a strict 24 hours visual and radar watch while transiting these waters and report any attacks or suspicious boats including the trawlers named above to the 24 hour IMB PRC. Tel: +603 2031 0014 / +603 2078 5763 email: piracy@icc-ccs.org
Suspected Pirate Mother Vessels:
BURUM OCEAN
BURUM OCEAN
ARENA or ATHENA
Source: Coalition Forces