(MENAFN- Muscat Daily) A 4,000-tonne warship, two military maritime patrol aircraft and Omani Coast Guard assets were sent to investigate fishermen who were mistaken for pirates by an oil tanker in transit through the Strait of Hormuz last month.
According to reports, two skiffs, vessels commonly used by local fishermen and Somali pirates alike, had approached the vessel on February 28 which raised the alarm, activated anti-piracy defences and notified international forces in the region.
The multinational Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), in a report of the incident, said that as the vessel didn't have an armed security team onboard, the master sent a distress message to nearby vessels and the Omani Coast Guard requesting immediate assistance.
Having picked up news from the UK Maritime Trade Organisation in Dubai of MV Tateyama's distress signal, the CMF's counter piracy task force, CTF 151, assigned Australian frigate HMAS Darwin to rush to the vessel's rescue and repulse any attack.
A Pakistani Navy maritime patrol aircraft also reached the scene and established communications with MV Tateyama's master. Shortly afterwards, a US maritime patrol aircraft reached the spot to support the merchant vessel.
The Omani Coast Guard subsequently intercepted the two skiffs and following questioning, the fishermen were allowed to carry on their business.
According to a CMF spokesperson, these incidents are categorised between pirated, attack, approach, disruption, suspicious event and false alarm. ''Fortunately, this appeared to be a false alarm. However, from the CMF perspective, what it does highlight is that all piracy alert calls from merchant ships are treated with the utmost seriousness. MV Tateyama's master's concerns were genuine. He did all the right things in calling for assistance and by implementing self-protection measures.
''CMF's battlewatch staff and UK's Maritime Trade Organisation, based in Dubai had kept Oman's Coast Guard in the loop about the piracy alarm. Omani Coast Guard boats came into direct communications with MV Tateyama over VHF radio on closing their position,'' added the spokesperson.
The incident, although a false alarm, serves as a warning that piracy still remains a problem in the region as well as the risks faced by local fisherman in being mistaken for potential threats, say piracy monitoring experts.
''The difficulty in determining whether an activity is just the normal pattern of life at sea in the region, or maybe suspect pirates approaching a vessel to assess its readiness, should act as a warning to fishermen to ensure their movements and intentions are clear,'' said Glen Forbes, founder of OCEANUSLive, a maritime information sharing platform.
''In the case of MV Tateyama there were no armed security guards onboard which prevented the use of warning shots being fired as a precautionary measure. There are sufficient cases in recent history of fishermen being mistaken for pirates and being killed. This incident along with the other suspicious activity reports of late in the Sea of Oman, demonstrates that the threat of piracy is not yet over.''
Commodore Keith Blount, deputy commander CMF, said, ''The quick and targeted response crossed national boundaries with aligned common purpose - we all want to drive piracy from our seas. It was a job well done.''
Commodore Ali Abbas, Commander of CTF 151, said, ''Having only taken command a few days ago, it is heartening to see such a well co-ordinated action in cooperation with other agencies, demonstrating CMF's resolve to suppress piracy activ
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