Tag: Indian Ocean

Although international donors have provided significant assistance, there are still no reliable regional maritime domain awareness structures in the Western Indian Ocean. In view of this, the EU Institute for Security Studies issued a policy brief identifying opportunities through low-tech solutions, human resources and collaboration for improvement of awareness in the region.

Maritime piracy and Somalia have become seen as synonymous in East Africa’s geopolitical narrative, with several vessel hijacks in the Indian Ocean. Despite international navies' efforts for adoption of vessel protection measures, a solution to the problem is yet to be found. To prevent piracy, a more nuanced approach to understanding the behaviour might be key to a solution.

The Danish Ministry of foreign affairs announced that, after taking advice from the Foreign Policy Committee, decided to deploy a detachment consisting of a Challenger airplane, to support the monitoring of shipping traffic in the Indian Ocean.

New boundaries for the HRA - further practical measures for implementation BIMCO advised that the co-sponsors of BMP 4 have agreed to a revised definition of the High Risk Area. The High Risk Area is now defined as being bounded by:In the Red Sea: Latitude 15oNIn the Gulf of Oman: Latitude 22oNEastern limit: Longitude 065oESouthern limit: Latitude 5oSAmendment to section 2 of BMP 4, accompanying guidance on the revision's impact and further practical measures for implementation in the context of company and shipboard planning as described in sections 6 and 7 of BMP 4.The revisions are effective and will formally apply as of 1 December 2015, in order to give shipping companies and crews time to adapt to them.It is strongly recommended that the revisions are taken into account as soon as possible for voyages through the VRA and HRA for which risk assessments are yet to be conducted, as the changes may have implications for charter party and insurance agreements as well as ship security.The revisions will be provided on industry websites, includingwww.bimco.org, as well as NATO Shipping Centre (www.shipping.nato.int) and MSCHOA (www.mschoa.org).It is not anticipated that there will be a need to publish a fully revised version of ...

ICS warns Organisations representing the global shipping and oil industry have announced that the size of the High Risk Area for piracy in the Indian Ocean has been reduced and issued new advice to merchant ship operators.This reduction to the High Risk Area is in response to the ongoing containment of pirate attacks in the Indian Ocean, but a group of shipping and oil industry organisations (BIMCO, International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), Intercargo, INTERTANKO and the Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF) stressed that a serious threat remains and that correct reporting and vigilance remains crucial.The reduction of the High Risk Area takes full account of recent shipping industry experience, and follows extensive consultation with governments through the diplomatic Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia, and military naval forces, including NATO, Combined Maritime Forces and EU NAVFOR, which continue to provide vital protection to shipping.The new industry advice, which takes effect from 1 December 2015, changes that currently contained in the latest edition of Best Management Practices for Protection against Somali Based Piracy (BMP 4), which is jointly produced by the industry group. In summary:The area previously classified as "high risk" now forms only a part of ...

Global threats to the maritime industry are far from eradicated

With the decline of piracy incidents in the Western Indian Ocean, vessels have gradually returned to travelling along the shortest route

CMF helps enhance maritime security in the Indian Ocean during Exercise Cutlass Express 2015

NATO decision to continue with counter piracy operations in the Indian Ocean demonstrates that the threat is real says maritime security company GoAGT

HMAS Darwin operating in the Indian Ocean in international waters, 40 nautical miles off the east coast of Somalia, intercepted a suspected drug smuggling dhow on 13 May 2014, seizing 449 kilograms of heroin with an estimated street value of $132 million dollars.