Happy Thanksgiving / Increased pirate activity (Editorial -

Happy Thanksgiving

We wish a happy thanksgiving to all our American Members, colleagues, correspondents and friends. The Thomas Miller Americas offices are closed for the duration of the public holiday. However, a duty executive system continues to be maintained and contact details can be found on the Emergency Contacts page of this website.

Increased pirate activity

The improved sea conditions of the past weeks after the monsoon season have encouraged more frequent attacks, further offshore and more difficult for merchant ships to evade.

The third edition of "Best management practices to deter piracy in the Gulf of Aden and of the Coast of Somalia" is published in our Piracy Resources page. We recommend that Members review this copy and distribute it among their masters and crew.

Members are strongly encouraged to register with the

Maritime Security Centre - Horn of Africa (MSCHOA)

via their website. This website is the best source of regularly updated information on protecting against piracy attacks drawing upon the practical experience of both the security forces in the area and commercial ship operators and their crews.

In particular, the MSCHOA registration system enables ships to be incorporated into the co-ordination of security and protection arrangements by military forces in the area.

Measures for self-protection nevertheless remain essential. Advice on such measures can be found both in BMP3 and on the MSCHOA website.