Pirates - how the fleet will manage the risk

A key feature of leg two of the Volvo Ocean Race is the piracy risk and the challenges that this poses to the fleet. The risk of pirate attacks in the area of ocean that the boats must pass through on their way to Abu Dhabi is high and pirate vessels are known to be operating.

These pirates are not the Blackbeard or Jack Sparrow of folklore, but rather ruthless, well organised criminal gangs that are highly armed and operate from powerful speedboats and skiffs. It is a lucrative business and one that has expanded into a vast area off the coast of Somalia. According to figures from Dryad Maritime Intelligence,1181 seafarers were kidnapped by pirates in 2010 alone.

This level of risk has forced Volvo race management to implement an anti-piracy plan that sees the routes for legs two and three redrawn and a radical new approach taken.

The plan will see the fleet transported by armed heavy lift ship from an undisclosed port in the Indian Ocean known as ‘point a’ and then resume racing from a set-down point along the Sharjah coastline in the northern Emirates, within a day’s sailing of the Leg 2 finish in Abu Dhabi.

The six boats will leave Cape Town as scheduled on Sunday, December 11 and continue to be tracked as normal until they reach a point in the Indian Ocean. From there, details about the boats’ location will be switched off to the public as they sail on to ‘point a’. At that port, the boats will be loaded on to a ship protected by armed guards and featuring other security measures and transported to the northern Emirates. The sailors will not travel on the ship.

Once unloaded, Volvo race management will re-start the race for a short 24 hour sprint into the finish line off Abu Dhabi.

The scoring system has been modified, so that 80 percent of the points of Leg 2 are based on the race between Cape Town and ‘point a’ and 20 percent for the short sprint into Abu Dhabi. For Leg 3, the operation will be reversed, with a short sprint from Abu Dhabi at the start of the leg. The boats will go back on a ship and be transported again to a Safe Haven Port. From there, they will sail on as normal to the Leg 3 finish in Sanya, China.

For CAMPER skipper Chris Nicholson although the plan presents a logistical nightmare it’s the only acceptable option.

“Regardless of what people might think there’s no doubt that the piracy risk in that stretch of ocean is huge and very real.

“The only guaranteed way to ensure the safety of boat and crew is the option that Volvo race management have chosen. As skipper and the guy who is responsible for the safety of my ten crew I support it 100 percent.

“Obviously in a perfect world none of us would want to do it but the reality is we don’t operate in a perfect world and this is the best option that’s available.

“It’s just not a viable option to send the yachts into an area where pirates are known to be operating.

“You’ve just got to acknowledge that it’s the environment we have to deal with and get on with it. It’s a bit of a hassle but the alternative could be much worse.

“Ultimately for us on the sailing team things won’t actually change that much – we’ll get on the boat in Cape Town and race hard for a few thousand miles. It’s the shore guys who have the big job in front of them – the logistics of getting these boats fully rigged on and off loaded a ship in a pretty short timeframe is mind boggling, but I have every confidence that they guys will get through it.”

Leg two of the Volvo Ocean Race starts from Cape Town on December 11.