Stena Bulk has revealed one of its MR tankers has scared off a potential pirate attack in the Red Sea.
The 50,000-dwt Stena Imperial (built 2015) was west of Yemen on 3 November when the suspected gunmen approached in two skiffs.
They came towards the port side at a distance of 1.5 nautical miles.
The alarm was raised and the master and security team mustered on the bridge.
Hand flares were fired towards the skiffs as warning shots as they kept coming closer.
The captain broadcast a security message about the attempted attack and also contacted a nearby warship.
Both skiffs stopped approaching after the flares were fired and passed by the stern.
One of the boats again tried to approach the vessel and was once more deterred by flares, before moving towards another ship.
Security teams still necessary
UK maritime security reporting body UKMTO had revealed on Monday that a merchant vessel had thwarted a pirate approach.
Stena typically has security teams of between three and four people on vessels in high-risk areas like Yemen and Nigeria.
"On the whole the pirate situation in the Gulf of Aden has calmed down and there have not been any hijackings for a long time," said Stena Bulk CEO Erik Hanell.
"But when we sail off the coast of Yemen we choose to use guards due to the lawless state prevailing in the country at the moment.
"This has created the same kind of desperation in the population as we saw in Somalia a number of years ago. But we are monitoring the situation closely via our security department, which also keeps an eye on the situation in general on the global level.
He added: "For us it is extremely important to take the measures that are required so that the crew feel safe, and that we at the same time follow the local regulations.”
