Ship or Stay in SE Asia?
10 March 2011
Nancy and Burger Zapf
We wrote to a UK-based armed security service that specializes in escorting private vessels through pirate alley. A Google Search brings up several such services, but this one was mentioned in the Washington Post recently and was also in the news for thwarting a pirate attack on a Danish motor vessel it was accompanying. Being curious what such services cost, we wrote to them. Here's their reply:
"Thanks for your email.
I'm sure it would be cheaper to load your boat onto a cargo vessel than hiring an escort vessel. Costs are around 8-10 000 USD per day of escorting. We can on occasion give much better quotes if we are "empty" in the same direction you wish to transfer but that requires a bit of luck to get together.
We normally don't do convoys of yachts, it is simply too dangerous. We could not effectively defend several yachts and we would never take on a boat under sail."
Brgds
Mike
Naval Guards Ltd (UK)
http://www.navalguards.com
We have been talking to professional crew of some mega-yachts here at the marina, and they concur that this is a typical price. Mega-yacht crew all have scary stories about attack attempts that are not making the news.
I think this effectively puts to rest the possibility for world cruisers to safely transit the Indian Ocean alone or in convoy until the piracy situation is resolved. To sail without armed escort would be foolhardy given the recent dramatic escalation of attacks on private vessels. Yesterday's US Government statement makes clear that government escort of those stranded by this crisis is not being considered.
There is much discussion about the South African alternative, but given the ever-widening range of pirate mother ships which have attacked commercial vessels as far south as Mauritius and Madagascar, the only route not yet attacked would be far offshore, avoiding the Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar. The S. African route used to be an attractive alternative for those who wanted to go that way, but part of the attraction was visiting those very islands that are now on a course deemed too dangerous. The offshore route is notoriously stormy and is a huge detour of several thousand miles for those whose goal is the Med.
So the options are narrowing for those of us here in SE Asia who would like to transit to the Med: ship for USD 30,000+, or remain here indefinitely in the hopes the situation will eventually be resolved. We plan to remain here till next year, so we'll be weighing our options then.
Photo: View of mega-yachts from our cockpit