Abu Dhabi: Volvo Ocean Race’s seven-strong fleet — including Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing — are to sail from Cape Town to Abu Dhabi for Leg 2 after the event’s security experts gave the all-clear this week following a big decrease in piracy.
In the 2011-12 edition of the round-the-world race, the boats were shipped from the Maldives to Sharjah during the same stage because of the threat of attack from pirates in the Indian Ocean. They were also transported over the same stretch by ship for Leg 3.
Since then, the problem of piracy in the Indian Ocean has decreased dramatically following pan-national intervention and the only activity that has been recorded recently has been in the far west, well outside the route of the Volvo Ocean Race fleet.
Race Chief Executive Officer, Knut Frostad, emphasised that he and Race Director Jack Lloyd would continue to work with the event’s maritime security experts, monitoring the situation on a daily basis.
“If anything changes regarding the risks on this leg — and the next — then we can change the plans at any time,” he said. “The safety of the sailors is, of course, paramount.
“We are not experts in this area of maritime security but we work closely with those who are and their advice has been that we’re good to take this course of action.”
