US MARAD: Shipping must still be vigilant in Indian Ocean

While the Indian Ocean piracy ‘High Risk Area’ will be removed on 1 January 2023, regional conflicts, heightened military activity, and increased political tensions continue to pose threats to merchant vessels operating in this geographic area, warns US MARAD.

As Gard Club reminds, on 30 August 2022 the US Maritime Administration (MARAD) issued a revised advisory (2022-08) to US flagged commercial vessels operating in the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, Gulf of Oman, Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, Bab el-Mandeb Strait, Red Sea, and Western Indian Ocean.

The advisory warns that regional conflict, heightened military activity, and increased political tensions continue to pose threats to merchant vessels operating in these geographical areas.

It also states that threats may come from a number of different sources including, but not limited to, drones, limpet mines, explosive boats, and pirates and armed robbers. With little or no warning, vessels operating in these areas may also encounter navigation or communication disruptions, such as GPS interference, AIS spoofing, and bridge-to-bridge communications spoofing.

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So far, MARAD has not published any maritime alerts for the Red Sea, Persian Gulf, and Western Indian Ocean region in 2022. In 2021 however, it notified the industry of seven security incidents involving merchant vessels operating in these areas.

According to Gard, one of the alerts described a mine placed on a vessel’s hull while operating in the Persian Gulf. Other alerts referred to incidences of explosions, one occurring near a vessel’s waterline while transiting the Gulf of Oman and two occurring onboard vessels underway in the Arabian Sea.

MARAD also underlines that the conflict in Yemen continues to pose a direct or collateral risk to vessels transiting the Red Sea, Bab el-Mandeb and Gulf of Aden, and that piracy poses a threat in the Gulf of Aden, Western Arabian Sea, and Western Indian Ocean.

Ship operators and masters are likely aware of the industry’s decision to remove the Indian Ocean High Risk Area (HRA) for piracy as of 1 January 2023. However, threat and risk assessments should still be conducted also after this date, and best management practices followed to continue to mitigate the risks presented by remaining security threats in the region.

Recommendations

Taking the above into consideration, MARAD recommends vessels operating in this area to review their security measures, ensure their AIS is transmitting at all times (except in extraordinary circumstances, consistent with the provisions of SOLAS), and monitor VHF Channel 16. Furthermore, the following guidance is provided:

Conduct a pre-voyage risk assessment and incorporate appropriate protective measures into their vessel security plans.
Take advice from available industry guidances, such as the.
Maintain a vigilant lookout at all times, particularly when at anchor, operating in restricted maneuvering environments, or proceeding at slow speeds. Pay attention to the vessel’s waterline and look for suspicious activity such as approaching swimmers or small boats.
Avoid entering or loitering near Yemen’s ports, and exercise increased caution if entering Yemen’s territorial waters or Saudi territorial waters in the Red Sea.
Establish and remain in contact with the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Office (UKMTO) as per BMP5. Immediately report any incident or suspicious activity.
Answer all VHF calls from coalition navies.