Attack - Gulf of Aden, 105NM Northeast of Aden, Yemen

Description

A merchant vessel operating in the Gulf of Aden, approximately 105NM northeast of Aden, Yemen, was approached and fired upon by two skiffs carrying an unknown number of armed individuals. The skiffs closed to within 4 meters of the vessel before opening fire.

The vessel's embarked security team responded by returning fire. Following the exchange, both suspect skiffs disengaged and withdrew to a distance in excess of 4NM from the vessel. All crew members are reported safe.

Vessels transiting the area are advised to proceed with caution and report any suspicious activity to UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO). Authorities are investigating the incident.

Key Findings

The closure to within 4 meters before opening fire indicates a highly aggressive and tactically deliberate approach, consistent with an attempted boarding rather than a mere show of force or warning engagement. This extremely close-range attack suggests the attackers were committed to boarding and may have been attempting to suppress the crew or security team prior to grappling. The use of two skiffs is a classic pincer or flanking tactic designed to divide defensive attention and complicate a security team's response arcs.

The rapid disengagement following return fire from the embarked security team underscores the continued deterrent value of vessel protection detachments (VPDs) in the Gulf of Aden. The attackers' withdrawal to beyond 4NM suggests they assessed the vessel as a hardened target once armed resistance was encountered. This incident fits a pattern of opportunistic skiff-based attacks in the Gulf of Aden that probe for soft targets and abort when meaningful resistance is met, reinforcing the operational calculus that armed security teams remain one of the most effective countermeasures against this attack profile.

Recommendations

• Ensure an embarked security team is aboard with clearly defined rules of engagement and pre-planned defensive positions to enable rapid, coordinated response to close-range skiff approaches.

• Maintain heightened bridge watch and implement anti-piracy measures (razor wire, fire hoses, citadel protocols) when transiting the Gulf of Aden, particularly in the northeast Aden corridor where this incident occurred.

• Report all suspicious vessel activity and close approaches immediately to UKMTO to enable timely alerts to other transiting vessels and facilitate coordinated naval response.

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