Fewer pirates in the Indian Ocean

Shipping industry wants to remove the categorisation as a high-risk area

There are increasing calls from shipping organisations to lift the high-risk area in the Indian Ocean. The United Nations International Maritime Organisation (IMO) was informed today - ahead of the next meeting of its Maritime Safety Committee on 31 October - by the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), BIMCO, the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA), INTERCARGO, INTERTANKO and the Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF) of its decision to lift the area completely. The lifting will come into force on 1 January 2023, giving charterers, shipowners and operators time to adapt to the changing threat of piracy.

The high-risk area was established in 2010 at the height of the piracy threat off Somalia. In 2010 and 2011, an average of one merchant ship was attacked by Somali pirates every other day, with 415 attacks and nearly 80 successful hijackings over the course of two years, according to the EU Naval Force - Somalia's count of reported incidents. Pirates held dozens of ships and hundreds of seafarers for ransom. According to one report, the cost of Somali piracy in its heyday was $7bn a year, most of which was paid by the shipping industry to protect its vessels. At the height of Somali piracy in January 2011, the EU Naval Force - Somalia reported 736 hostages and 32 ships in the hands of pirates.

Thanks to efforts to combat piracy, such as the increased use of private armed security agents, international naval coalitions and the improvement of conditions on land, the number of pirate attacks in the Horn of Africa region fell rapidly. By 2013, the number of successful hijackings had fallen to almost zero. Since then, there have been isolated incidents, but nothing that has even come close to the peak figures. There have been no more pirate attacks on ships off Somalia since 2018.

The "High Risk Area" (HRA) in the Indian Ocean was already reduced in September 2021. After more than a decade, the HRA designation is now to be cancelled completely. The cancelled area is the "high risk area" indicated on UKHO map Q6099.

However, the ICS continues to urge caution in the region. "The shipping industry will continue to monitor maritime security threats and provide advice to support the safe passage of ships and their crews. Pre-voyage threat and risk assessments should take into account the latest maritime security information. Although the HRA will no longer be in force next year, the European Union Naval Force - Somalia - Operation ATALANTA air and naval forces will continue to produce threat assessments to inform the security officers of companies planning a voyage through the Voluntary Reporting Area (VRA). Piracy has been reduced, but not yet eradicated". The VRA, which is administered by UKMTO (United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations), remains unchanged. Ships entering the area are advised to report to UKMTO and register with the Maritime Security Centre for the Horn of Africa (MSCHOA).

The ICS concluded its statement by thanking all the soldiers, seafarers and offshore workers who have contributed to keeping global trade and operations safe during this long period.

Today, the seas off West Africa are the global hotspot of piracy with numerous attacks, robberies and kidnappings. This has prompted international naval forces and coastal states to improve maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea through various individual measures. However, there has not yet been another coordinated effort like the one in the Horn of Africa!

Read a technical article about Operation ATALANTA in marineforum 10-22!

Source. Schuler / gcaptain / hsc / defence web