MARAD WARNS OF INCREASED PIRATE ATTACKS
The U.S. Maritime Administration has issued an advisory to U.S.-flag vessel operators to remind them about the increasing risks of piracy, theft and terrorism.
MarAd has requested the vessel operators report these attacks. “Several agencies, nationally and internationally, have been instituted or directed to assist in countering this problem,” the agency said. “The first step in controlling the problem is to establish a reliable database of incidents to define the area and degree of the problem.”
The National Imagery and Mapping Agency maintains a database on anti-shipping activity. This file can be accessed on line at NIMA’s safety and navigation Web site: http://pollux.nss.nima.mil .
NIMA has also created ship hostile action report procedures to send out information within the U.S. government on these acts against U.S. merchant ships.
MARAD said that any U.S.-flag vessel under attack or the threat of attack may request direct assistance from the U.S. Navy.