TNAG-2897-FCO40-4171-Hong-Kong-piracy-in-the-South-China-Sea-1993 — Page 49

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through congested or confined waters will have the additional onerous task of maintaining high levels of security surveillance for prolonged periods. Shipowners will wish to consider enhancing security watchers if their ship is in waters or at anchor off ports, where attacks occur. Shipowners will wish to consider providing appropriate surveillance and detection equipment to aid their crews and protect their ships. Shipowners should seek to verify the bona fide of any security personnel they may engage locally.

Recommended practices

6 The recommended practices outlined below are based on reports of incidents, advice published by commercial organizations and measures developed to enhance ship security. The extent to which the recommendations are followed or applied are matters solely for the owners or master of vessels operating in areas where attacks occur.

7 The recommended actions are defined as phases related to any voyage in a piracy threat area. The phases define the main stages in all situations of non-piracy, attempted piracy and confirmed piracy. Depending on the development of any one situation, they may or may not materialize.

The pre-piracy phase - Anti-attack plan

8 All ships operating in waters where attacks occur should have an anti-attack plan. The anti-attack plan should be prepared having regard to the risks that may be faced, the crew members available, their capability and training, the ability to establish secure areas on board ship and the surveillance and detection equipment that has been provided. The plan should, inter alia, cover:

.1 the need for enhanced surveillance and the use of lighting,

surveillance and detection equipment;

.2

.3

crew responses, if a potential attack is detected or an attack is underway;

the radio alarm procedures to be followed; and

.4 the reports that must be made after an attack or an attempted attack.

Anti-attack plans must ensure that masters and crews are made fully aware of the risks involved during attacks by pirates or armed robbers. In particular, they should address the dangers that may arise if a crew adopts an aggressive response to an attack. Early detection of a possible attack is the most effective deterrent. Aggressive responses, once an attack is underway and, in particular, once the attackers have boarded the ship, could significantly increase the risk to the ship and those on board.

Routing and delaying anchoring

9 If at all possible, ships should be routed away from areas where attacks are known to have taken place and, in particular, seek to avoid bottle-necks. If ships are approaching ports where attacks have taken place on ships at anchor, rather than vessels underway, and it is known that the ship will have to anchor off port for some time, consideration should be given to delaying anchoring by slow steaming or longer routing to remain well off shore thereby reducing the period during which the ship will be at risk. Charter party agreements should recognize that ships may need to delay arrival at ports

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