In light of the ‘Advice to Masters’ brochure that the Swedish Club published, the Master has to be fully informed of security regulations and how to handle any incidents of piracy and security.
Overall, piracy and the doubt against today’s security measure pose a great threat to the shipping industry. Thus, the Master should:
#1 Be aware of the international and national legislation aimed at increasing the security of countries and ports; This is under the regulation of the International Ship and Port Facility Security code (ISPS) which sets the responsibilities of the vessel’s Ship Security Officer (SSO), the Company Security Officer (CSO) and the port facility.
The above are defined by the Ship Security Plan (SSP), which contains information available for inspection by port State control (PSC) inspectors but also contains sections that are confidential.
#2 The Master, the shipping company and the vessel should acknowledge the problem of piracy and have a plan to be able to deal with.
Thus, BIMCO, ICS, INTERCARGO and INTERTANKO have launched the ‘Guidelines for Owners, Operators and Masters for Protection against Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea Region’, providing information on how to be protected in these areas.
Below, the Swedish Club provides a form to be completed in the event of stowaways
