A number of different areas or zones have been established in regions affected by piracy around the world, including Voluntary Reporting Areas (VRAs), High Risk Areas (HRAs), and War Risk Listed Areas (WRAs), along with other more specialized zones. Therefore, Oceans Beyond Piracy (OBP) has issued a paper to provide clarity on the differences between these zones, and their implications for stakeholders.
The establishment of the new MDAT-GoG reporting “network” in the Gulf of Guinea and the associated changes to UKHO chart Q6114, have raised old questions about the definitions and purpose of risk and reporting areas associated with maritime piracy. In general terms, these areas are meant to help establish situational awareness of maritime traffic, threats and response options to help vulnerable shipping vessels.
OBP provides the following definitions:
Voluntary Reporting Areas: Established by regional reporting centers such as UKMTO, IFC, or the new MDAT-GOG. Vessels report information such as location, counter-piracy measures, speed, etc. on a voluntary basis at the request of the reporting center to help in the development of a comprehensive Maritime Situational Awareness (MSA) picture of traffic, threat, and response awareness within the area. This information facilitates threat assessments, resource allocation, and response planning by maritime law enforcement and navies.
High Risk Areas: Established by the shipping industry and other stakeholders, these areas are designated as an indication of increased risk to vessels and crew. The most well-known is the HRA which was established as a response to Somali piracy in the Indian Ocean, and reduced in size on 1 December, 2015. However, numerous other HRAs have been established in other piracy affected regions by individual flag states, security companies, and shipping companies. These areas have implications for industry standards related to counter-piracy measures.
War Risk Listed Areas: Established by insurance companies and mutual clubs, either individually or through the Joint War Risk Committee (JWC), these areas provide a recommendation to insurers relating to increased additional premiums for hull-risk policies. The two most pertinent for piracy are the JWC Listed Areas in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Guinea. The Indian Ocean JWC Listed Area was reduced in size to cover an area similar to, but not identical with, the BMP HRA.
Further details may be found by reading OBP paper herebelow
Source: Oceans Beyond Piracy
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