Piracy spreading east to Maldives

   A company that supplies armed guards and other protection services to commercial ships said pirates have begun to focus their attacks a new region of the Indian Ocean affecting the Cape of Good Hope-to-Arabian Gulf shipping lane.
   The company, Gulf of Aden Group Transits (GOAGT), said it received information that pirates have been active in the past week in the area between the Seychelles and Maldives.
   “These sightings suggest that pirates are targeting the Cape to Arabian Gulf shipping lane,” GOAGT said. “There is a potential for (pirates) to move east and endanger shipping along the Cape to Malacca route. Shipping along these routes is vulnerable as many vessels are not hardened against piracy, and do not carry armed guards. This is due to these routes being outside of the traditional high risk area.
   “This activity east of the Seychelles is likely motivated by the search for unprepared shipping. The operational range for (pirates) has greatly increased due to the use of mother-ship vessels, which allow for extended operations at sea,” the company said.
   Two merchant vessels were reportedly attacked on Feb. 6 and Feb. 8 in relatively close proximity, the company said.
   “The distance between these attacks suggests that several (pirates) are now operating in this area,” GOAGT said. “With the extensive concentration of anti-piracy measures in the northern Indian Ocean, it is increasingly likely that (pirates) will attempt to target new areas to take advantage of unprotected shipping lanes.”