Blue Water Rally participants use Dockwise for pirate waters

by Dockwise/Sail-World Cruising on 16 Mar 2011 Dockwise Yacht Transport (DYT) will be orchestrating the transport of 20 private cruising yachts believed to be from the Blue Water Rally, from Salalah, Oman to Marmaris, Turkey in April.

The yacht Quest, which had previously been part of the rally, but was not part of it at the time according to the organisers, was seajacked and her four American crew members killed by the pirates, during tense negotiations with US naval personnel on the USS Skerret.

Dockwise, well known in yachting circles for its fleet of semi-submersible 'float-on/float-off' yacht carriers, also coordinates lift-on/lift-off arrangements with third-party carriers, and logistically can fulfill almost any request, even if it is driven by unfortunate circumstances.

'Due to increased piracy, cruising sailors are altering their plans for getting from southeastern Asia to the Mediterranean,' said DYT President Clemens van der Werf. 'By virtue of their independent and adventurous nature, some of these sailors had not previously thought about shipping as an alternative, but they are thinking differently now.

'Dockwise is committed to assisting them in all phases of learning about the process and then implementing a plan so they can ship to designated ports rather than travel through dangerous waters on their own.'

Van der Werf explained that factors influencing the decision were that the killings on the Quest, and more recently, Somali pirates took hostage seven Danes, including three children, after hijacking their yacht off the Somali coast.

'These attacks on private cruising yachts are deeply disturbing and are an assault on our collective yachting family,' said van der Werf, emphasizing that for more than two decades, Dockwise Yacht Transport has been working one-on-one with owners, captains and crews to ensure safe and efficient passages by way of shipping. 'We will do all we can to help sailors meet their needs, utilizing extensive shipping routes and schedules used by our own Dockwise vessels as well as our alliances with heavy-lift operators around the world.'

Helping in times of crisis is not new to Dockwise Yacht Transport. One of the ships owned by its parent company, Dockwise Ltd., transported the destroyer U.S.S. Cole back to the United States after it was the target of a suicide attack carried out in the year 2000 at the Yemeni port.

Crews of the yachts to be transported are believed to be making their own way to the Mediterranean to collect their yachts.