Volvo Ocean Race Faces Reduced Threat Of Piracy In Second, Third Legs

A reduction in the threat of piracy off the eastern coast of Africa means that the second and third legs of this year’s Volvo Ocean Race "may not face the disruption in the previous race" of '11-12, according to Osman Samiuddin of THE NATIONAL. That year, the Cape Town to Abu Dhabi leg "involved all the boats sailing to a secret safe haven destination, where they were loaded onto an armed ship without their crew." Improved security in the region "means pirates hijacked the fewest number of merchant ships in 2013 in nearly a decade." In turn "that has encouraged race organisers to believe that the threat will not impinge heavily on the second and third legs this year." VOR CEO Knut Frostad said, "Currently our advice is that we will sail the whole way." Frostad acknowledged that "they would continue to keep a vigilant eye on what is always a fluid ­situation." Frostad: "We monitor piracy all the time, both through military and private intelligence and we do that every week" (THE NATIONAL, 9/8).