Prepared to repel boarders: best practice for protection in pirate-infested waters

摘要

The Italian-registered merchant vessel MV Montechsto hit the headlines during October when its 23 crew members - forced to retreat into a hardened citadel after pirates stormed the ship - were freed by a UK Royal Navy (RN) and Royal Marines boarding team about 620 n miles off Somalia. Having been attacked on 10 October while bound for Vietnam with a cargo of scrap metal, the crew of the 56,000-tonne bulk carrier spent a day and a half holed up in the engine room/steering gear citadel from where they could steer and control the engines. However, they had managed to send a distress signal, which subsequently saw the US Navy frigate USS De Wert and the Royal Fleet Auxiliary afloat support ship RFA Fort Victoria - both part of NATO's counter-piracy mission Operation 'Ocean Shield' - converge on the Montecris-to's position. After sailing for about 30 hours, De Wert was first on the scene and assessed the situation while the boarding team embarked in Fort Victoria prepared to intervene. The presence of the two naval ships, the boarding team with its sea boats and offshore raiding craft, and an RN Lynx helicopter provided the would-be hijackers with a clear show of strength.