Pirate activity intensified once more in the Indian Ocean area last winter, despite the setting up of the Internationally Recognized Transit Corridor (IRTC) and more naval vessels in the area.

On 29 December 2009 the 14,000dwt tanker St James Park became the first vessel to be pirated in the IRTC since last July, underscoring how quickly the pirates can operate.

The 460ft ship managed to send a distress signal on her Ship Security Alert System (SSAS) to warships in the area, but all the flagship of Combined Task Force 151 (CTF 151), USS Chosin (CG 65) could do was to confirm that pirates had taken control of the vessel via bridge-to-bridge radio communication.

The pirate gang that captured the ship is the same gang that took the British couple Paul and Rachel Chandler hostage after hijacking their yacht off the Seychelles.