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(U) WORLDWIDE: Worldwide Threat to Shipping (WTS) Report,
14 September – 12 October 2022
12 October 2022
(U) Table of Contents:
1. (U) Scope Note
2. (U) Warnings and Advisories
3. (U) Summary
4. (U) Details: Monthly Incidents by Region
5. (U) Appendix A: Piracy and Armed Robbery at Sea Statistics and Trends
6. (U) Appendix B: Definitions and Sourcing
7. (U) Appendix C: Active U.S. Maritime Advisories
1. (U) Scope Note
(U) The Worldwide Threat to Shipping (WTS) message provides information on threats to merchant vessels, the
shipping industry, and other maritime stakeholders worldwide in the last 30 days. This report is produced primarily
to inform merchant mariners and naval forces.
2. (U) Warnings, Advisories and Alerts: No warnings, advisories, or alerts issued this week. See Appendix C for
active advisories.
3. (U) Summary:
A. (U) SAINT LUCIA: On 6 October, four robbers armed with knives and machetes boarded a yacht moored in the
Soufriere Marine Management Area.
4. (U) Monthly Incidents by Region
(U) This section lists reports of active violence against shipping, credible threats to shipping, or the potential for a
situation to develop into a direct threat to shipping over the past 30 days. Every effort is made to ensure that
incidents are not double-counted. In the event that double-counting is detected, or an incident is later found to
be different than initially reported, an explanation of the cancellation of the inaccurate report will be made in at
least one message prior to dropping the erroneous report.
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A. (U) NORTH AMERICA: No current incidents to report.
B. (U) CENTRAL AMERICA – CARIBBEAN – SOUTH AMERICA:
(U) Figure 1. Central America – Caribbean – South America Piracy and Armed Robbery at Sea
1. (U) SAINT LUCIA: On 6 October at 0030 local time, four robbers armed with knives and machetes boarded a
yacht moored in the Soufriere Marine Management Area, near position 13:51N – 061:04W. The perpetrators stole
electronics (a phone, a tablet, and a computer) and personal items (clothing). The crew were uninjured, and the
incident was reported to the local police. (CSSN – Caribbean Safety and Security Net)
2. (U) PERU: On 29 September at 0015 local time, robbers boarded a berthed tanker near position 12:02N –
077:08W at Callao Port. The perpetrators stole ship’s stores and escaped unnoticed. During routine rounds, the
duty crew discovered evidence of a robbery. The vessel notified local authorities and port control of the incident.
(IMB; Clearwater Dynamics)
C. (U) ATLANTIC OCEAN AREA: No current incidents to report.
D. (U) NORTHERN EUROPE – BALTIC: No current incidents to report.
E. (U) MEDITERRANEAN – BLACK SEA: No current incidents to report.
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F. (U) WEST AFRICA – GULF OF GUINEA:
1. (U) GHANA: On 19 September between 1250 and 0250 local time, crewmembers discovered as many as four
unauthorized persons onboard the anchored Liberia-flagged refrigerated cargo ship ACONCAGUA BAY at
Takoradi Anchorage, in position 04:54N – 001:41W. They raised the alarm, and called Takoradi Port Security. The
crew determined that the perpetrators had stolen ship’s stores before their escape. All crew were reported safe.
(MDAT-GoG; Clearwater Dynamics; vesseltracker.com)
2. (U) GUINEA: On 14 September at 0005 UTC, five robbers armed with knives and guns boarded the anchored
Antigua and Barbuda-flagged general cargo ship MARTINA at Conakry Anchorage, near position 09:12N –
013:46W. The perpetrators attempted to force their way into interior spaces, which resulted in the crew retreating
to the citadel. Port control was informed and a security vessel was dispatched. As the security vessel approached
the cargo ship, the robbers were observed escaping on a motor-powered boat with stolen items of ship’s
equipment. The ship reported damage to external doors and navigation equipment. The vessel and crew are safe.
(MDAT-GoG; splash247.com; Clearwater Dynamics)
G. (U) ARABIAN GULF: No current incidents to report.
H. (U) INDIAN OCEAN – EAST AFRICA – RED SEA:
1. (U) EGYPT: On 21 September, thieves boarded and robbed an anchored container ship, presumably in the
Southern Anchorage of the Suez Canal, near position 29:50N – 032:34E. (Securewest.com, MARAD)
I. (U) EAST ASIA – SOUTHEAST ASIA:
1. (U) MALAYSIA: On 17 September at 1650 local time, as many as ten robbers from four sampans boarded a
transiting barge towed by a Singapore-flagged tugboat in the westbound lane of the Singapore Strait Traffic
Separation Scheme, in position 01:17N – 104:09E. The crew noticed persons stealing cargo and raised the alarm.
Vessel Traffic Information System was informed, and a patrol boat was sent to investigate. Upon seeing the patrol
boat, the perpetrators escaped with stolen scrap metal. The master informed the port operations control center
that the crew were safe and no assistance was required. The tugboat continued its voyage to Vietnam. (IMB;
Clearwater Dynamics)
J. (U) INDIAN SUBCONTINENT: No current incidents to report.
K. (U) AUSTRALIA – NEW ZEALAND – PACIFIC OCEAN AREA: No current incidents to report.
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5. (U) Appendix A: Piracy and Armed Robbery at Sea Statistics and Trends
6. (U) Appendix B: Definitions and Sourcing
A. (U) Definitions: In order to promote consistent use of accurate terms of reference, we use the following
definitions to describe a range of criminal antishipping activity and impediments to safe navigation in our
worldwide reporting and analysis.
(U) Attempted Boarding – Close approach or hull-to-hull contact with report that boarding
paraphernalia were employed or visible in the approaching boat.
(U) Blocking – Hampering safe navigation, docking, or undocking of a vessel as a means of protest.
(U) Boarding – Unauthorized embarkation of a vessel by persons not part of its complement without
successfully taking control of the vessel.
(U) Fired Upon – Weapons discharged at or toward a vessel.
(U) Hijacking – Unauthorized seizure and retention of a vessel by persons not part of its complement.
(U) Kidnapping – Unauthorized forcible removal of persons belonging to the vessel from it.
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(U) Hijacking/Kidnapping Combination – Unauthorized seizure and retention of a vessel by persons not
part of its complement who forcefully remove crewmembers from vessel when disembarking.
(U) Robbery – Theft from a vessel or from persons aboard the vessel.
(U) Suspicious Approach – All other unexplained activity in close proximity of an unknown vessel.
B. (U) Sourcing: ONI derives information in this report primarily from government agencies, piracy reporting
centers, maritime security companies, and open press.
7. (U) Appendix C: Active U.S. Maritime Advisories
Title Effective Date Expiration Date
2022-005-Various-GPS Interference & AIS Spoofing 9 SEP 22 8 MAR 23
2022-009-Black Sea and Sea of Azov-Military Combat 4 SEP 22 3 MAR 23
Operations
2022-008-Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, Gulf of 30 AUG 22 26 FEB 23
Oman, Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, Bab al Mandeb
Strait, Red Sea, and Western Indian Ocean-Threat to
Commercial Vessels
2022-007-Gulf of Guinea-Piracy/Armed 6 JUL 22 2 JAN 23
Robbery/Kidnapping for Ransom
2022-006-Global-Overview of the U.S. Maritime 15 JUN 22 12 DEC 22
Advisory System
(U) ICOD: 12 October 2022
(U) The Worldwide Threat to Shipping reports are posted weekly on the ONI Intelligence Portal:
https://www.oni.navy.mil/ONI-Reports/Shipping-Threat-Reports/Worldwide-Threat-to-Shipping/
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