TORM Tanker Deters Pirate Approach

On June 28, TORM Sofia succeeded in deterring a suspicious approach to the vessel by a group of pirates in the Gulf of Aden, the Arabian Sea. There were no injuries to crew, vessel, environment or cargo. 

The Filipino Master, his crew and the employed armed guards are safe and suffered no injuries as they handled the situation with great skill. No pirates were hurt either. 

The LR1 product tanker TORM Sofia was in open sea at the time of the incident, en route from Sikka in India to New York in the USA (positioned: 13º15’4 North, 049º11’3 East). The pirates approached the vessel in a skiff. The TORM vessel was in full compliance with the best management practice (BMP 4). All actions performed were as per the procedures and the Rules for the use of force and subsequently the pirates abandoned their approach. The emergency response team ashore was immediately gathered upon notification of the pirate approach. 

The charterer of TORM Sofia and all relevant authorities, both domestic and international, have also been notified of the incident. 

“I am pleased that our capable crew acted according to our procedures and that everybody on board TORM Sofia is safe and unharmed,” says Tina Revsbech, Senior Vice President, Technical Division. 

TORM appreciates the naval presence in the High Risk Areas and still believes the international society must keep its focus on the continued piracy threat in the area.