Pirates Hunting in Packs Maritime Security Company Worries About Possible New Trend A Somali pirate attack on a merchant vessel on Sunday could possibly signal the start of a new tactic of “hunting in packs”, a maritime security company said Monday. The attack off the coast of Eritrea in the Red Sea, flagged up by the International Maritime Bureau, was carried out by 12 skiffs, with five to eight pirates on each, and was only rebuffed by an on-board security detachment. “What marks this attack out for special attention, and the reason it  should be of particular concern to all shipping companies and members of the maritime community is that in this instance, it would appear the pirates attacked in large numbers, en masse,” Neptune Maritime Security said. “Whether this represents a genuinely new approach to tactics by pirates is as yet unknown,” the company added. “What is clear, however, is that only the presence of an armed security detail on board the bulk carrier ensured its continued safe passage and the safety of its crew and cargo.” Source : Somalia Report

Questo attacco in massa (12 barche con 5/8 pirati a bordo di ognuna) avvenuto domenica oltre ad indicare chiaramente la ripresa dell’attivita’ dopo la stagione dei monsoni  fa anche capire che la strategia dei pirati si evolve in continuazione e mentre il governo lentamente sta varando la guardia armata su ogni nave i pirati velocemente  gia’ sperimentano  le contromosse, questo attacco e’ stato respinto dalle guardie a bordo ma questo episodio sembra dare ragione a quelli che credono che  le stesse provocheranno in futuro uno scontro militare sempre piu’ duro, al momento pero risulta evidente che recarsi in quelle acque senza militari a bordo e’ pura follia anche con le navi piu’ veloci e con murate piu alte. DAR