On the 17th May 2010 a vessel under our Ship Support Service was transiting out of the Gulf of Aden heading East passing Socotra, when it was forced to stop it’s engine due to serious mechanical issues. This problem resulted in the vessel being in the “lion’s den” in terms of the risk from potential pirate attacks, and the sea conditions were ideal for piracy.

Over the following 48 hours we very closely monitored this vessel by satellite AIS. With regular calls and emails we were able to reassure the Master and crew of the most suitable procedures to take in terms of security. This, together with our ability to inform all coalition and foreign warships to keep a close eye on our vessel, in addition to utilising our close relationship with UKMTO meant we were able to persuade them to bring a coalition warship into the area to protect the vessel whilst undergoing repairs.

We were also able to prepare a recovery tug from Yemen to be ready to deploy from Mukalla at a moment’s notice, to assist in the event that the repairs did not go well. At all times we were keeping the company CSO informed and taking the stresses and strains of the operation from his shoulders.

We closely monitored all pirate activity anywhere near the area of the vessel and were feeding back immediate intelligence of potential threats to the vessel.

After 48 hours of work to the engine the mechanical issues were resolved and the vessel was able to continue slowly across the Indian Ocean; at all times under our watchful eye and receiving our full support until they passed the Maldives; a full 12 days in total. The Master and Crew were immensely appreciative of all our assistance and just felt that they were never forgotten as a result of the regular calls and updates they received from our Operations team.