A United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) report released on March 2 noted an increased presence of boats, carrying up to six people, maneuvering at high speed near the eastern entrance to the Gulf of Aden’s Recommended International Transit Corridor (IRTC), suggesting a possible piracy risk.
This area, better known as IRTC Point B, is the eastern entrance to the Recommended International Transit Corridor, established in 2009 in response to the threat of Somali piracy.
The IRTC is 492 miles long with a five-mile wide corridor to the east and west where naval assets are concentrated. It is monitored by Combined Task Force 151 (CTF 151), which works alongside the European Union Naval Force in Somalia (EU NAVFOR), among others.
This report comes after the shipping industry withdrew its “high risk area” (HRA) designation on January 1, 2023, following a decrease in Somali piracy incidents.