Best Practices: Avoiding Pirate Attacks

Maritime Attorneys for Seamen Injured in Pirate Attacks

One of the many dangers that a seaman may be subjected to is piracy. Modern day pirate attacks affect hundreds of seamen worldwide every year, leading to serious injuries and deaths. At Arnold & Itkin LLP, we are committed to protecting the legal rights and financial interests of injured seamen and the families of maritime workers who have lost their lives as the result of pirate attacks.

Maritime piracy is a key area of concern for our firm, and our maritime lawyers fight for fair compensation that will help victims of such acts begin to rebuild and move on with their lives.

One issue that should be considered is what measures a ship can take to avoid pirates and deter attempts made by pirates to overtake the vessel. Certain ship protection measures can be taken to reduce the risk of a piracy attack. If pirates are unable to board a ship, they cannot hijack it to steal its cargo, subject its crew to violence or hold the vessel and its crew until a ransom is paid.

Deterring and Countering Maritime Piracy

Considering that the average length of a hijacking of a vessel and crew is 7 months, it is absolutely crucial that specific measures be taken by ships to avoid, deter and counter piracy attacks in the first place.

The following are some of the measures suggested by the International Chamber of Commerce Commercial Crime Services:

• Always be aware of high risk areas for maritime piracy. This should be taken into account when planning a voyage and should also be considered while the voyage is underway.
• Use all available means for a proper all round lookout particularly when traveling through these areas. Radar may also be particularly effective in detecting pirates so they can be avoided.
• Crew safety should be a primary concern, including the location of a safe muster point in the event of an attack as well as the protection against gunfire afforded to the crew who may need to remain on the bridge during an attack.
• A large freeboard, greater than 8 meters, is more likely to make it difficult for pirates to board the ship.
• Speed may be an effective deterrent, enabling a ship to outrun the pirates or making it difficult for pirates to board the ship. Increasing to maximum safe speed or at least 18 knots is highly recommended.
• Operating a ship in sea state 3 may make it less likely that pirates will attack, as the smaller vessels they use are more difficult to operate even in moderate sea states.

Negligence and Pirate Attacks

There are some situations where ship owner or operator negligence may lead to a pirate attack. Whether insufficient safety measures were taken in planning the voyage, assigning lookouts or equipping the ship to counter a piracy attack, it is possible that this may influence an injured seaman's claim under the Jones Act or other maritime law.

Thoroughly investigating pirate attacks and determining what ship protection measures, if any, were taken to protect the crew may prove essential as our attorneys build a compelling case on your behalf. We represent American seamen injured or killed in pirate attacks in foreign waters and are ready to see how we can assist you.

Contact a maritime attorney at our firm today to discuss what preventative measures can or should be taken to deter piracy attacks.