Annex C – Piracy Definitions
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Statutory Documents - IMO Publications and Documents - Circulars - Maritime Safety Committee - MSC.1/Circular.1339 – Piracy and Armed Robbery Against Ships in Waters off the Coast of Somalia – (14 September 2011)Best Management Practices for Protection against Somalia Based Piracy - Annex 2 - Annex C – Piracy Definitions

Annex C – Piracy Definitions

  1. It is important to use common definitions and guidelines when reporting piracy attacks and suspicious activity because this will ensure:

  • Harmonised data assessment.
  • Provision of consistent reporting.
  • Harmonised intelligence gathering.

  2. ‘Piracy’ is defined in the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) (article 101). However, for the purposes of these BMP, it is important to provide clear, practical, working guidance to the Industry to enable accurate and consistent assessment, of suspicious activity and piracy attacks.

  3. The following are the BMP Guidelines to assist in assessing what is a Piracy attack and what is suspicious activity

  • A piracy attack may include, (but is not limited to), actions such as the following:
 
  • The use of violence against the ship or its personnel, or any attempt to use violence.
 
 
  • Attempt(s) to board the vessel where the Master suspects the persons are pirates.
 
 
  • An actual boarding whether successful in gaining control of the vessel or not.
 
 
  • Attempts to overcome the Ship Protection Measures by the use of:
 
   
  • Ladders.
   
  • Grappling hooks.
   
  • Weapons deliberately used against or at the vessel.
  • For the purposes of BMP the following definitions distinguish between the differing levels of pirate activity:
Parent topic: Annex 2
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