Loss Prevention Advice
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Below you will find a weekly report dated 1 July 2026, covering the period of 25 June to 1 July, where the following incidents were reported:
- 0 maritime security incidents in West Africa in the last 7 days
- 3 maritime security incidents in the Indian Ocean/Middle East in the last 7 days
- 2 Somalia-based piracy incidents reported in the last 7 days.
Full advisory at the following link.
https://mailchi.mp/tindallriley/loss-prevention-security-update020726-13867438?e=f3da49a36b
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A merchant vessel was illegally boarded by armed personnel off Yemen on Wednesday, prompting a fresh security warning from the UK Maritime Trade Operations organization as another ship reported a suspicious approach in nearly the same area just hours later.
The first incident occurred approximately 76 nautical miles south of Balhaf, Yemen. Initial reports described a suspicious small craft approaching the vessel, but a subsequent investigation found that four-armed individuals aboard the craft successfully boarded the ship.
The incident as an illegal boarding, saying the unauthorized personnel caused damage to the vessel’s bridge and several adjacent compartments before departing. The crew retreated to the ship’s citadel and were reported safe.
The attackers were reported to have been armed with an RPG. After leaving the vessel, the small craft remained active in the area, raising concerns that it could pose a threat to other shipping.
The master of a tanker reported another suspicious approach roughly 85 nautical miles south of Balhaf.
The tanker reported that a small craft with four persons on board approached to within about two nautical miles off its port quarter before turning away and proceeding south. The crew was reported safe, and the vessel continued its voyage.
The two incidents occurred in the same area of the Gulf of Aden, where merchant ships have continued to face threats from armed small craft despite an overall easing of regional tensions elsewhere.
The incidents also come one day after the Joint Maritime Information Centre reported no confirmed maritime security incidents during the previous 48-hour reporting period, although it warned that the threat from hostile small-craft activity in the Gulf of Aden remained. JMIC said regional instability continues to sustain the risk of suspicious approaches, even as southwest monsoon conditions reduce the ability of skiffs to operate far offshore.
Authorities are investigating both incidents.
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An incident where a vessel’s cook injured his hand after slipping in the galley.
What happened
A vessel’s cook was working in the galley, cleaning up post mealtime, when he slipped and braced his outstretched arm/hand against the corner of the galley sink. He immediately felt slight discomfort, but there was later swelling and increased pain.
On arrival in port 2 days later the IP was disembarked for medical examination. The IP was diagnosed with a closed, undisplaced metacarpal fracture with associated wrist tenderness and reduced movement.
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In both incidents, a crane’s auxiliary line descended unexpectedly while personnel were being transferred between an offshore facility and a motor vessel. The incidents show the importance of timely maintenance, correcting known deficiencies, using stop-work authority, communicating clearly during transfers, and planning for medical evacuations before work begins.
Incident 1: During a personnel transfer, a crane operator was lowering a worker in a rigid-type personnel basket to the deck of a motor vessel when the crane’s auxiliary line suddenly and uncontrollably dropped 6 to 15 feet before coming to an abrupt stop approximately 25 feet above the water. The worker remained in the basket but suffered injuries to his back and leg. The injured worker needed medical evacuation by rescue stretcher/litter.
Several attempts to evacuate the worker by helicopter failed because of miscommunication about the type of aircraft operating in the field and whether it could accommodate a stretcher/litter. The injured worker was carried to the platform helideck before personnel determined the helicopter could not accommodate the rescue stretcher/litter. The worker then had to be carried to the boat landing and transferred over water to the motor vessel. Personnel from a nearby facility were transported to assist with the evacuation. The evacuation by motor vessel occurred several hours after the incident.