Over the last several weeks, the NATO Shipping Centre has received increased reporting of suspicious approaches on merchant vessels along the Western approaches to the Gulf of Aden.
Military units dispatched to investigate have been unable to confirm any skiffs with pirate paraphernalia, however it is possible that skiffs with potential pirates are loitering in the area and conducting probes to test the responsiveness of merchant vessels.
It should be noted that due to seasonal meteorological conditions some of the reports appear to be interaction between legitimate fishing boats and merchants transiting in close proximity to the seasonal fishing areas.
Picture by NATO Shipping Centre
