Piracy – Updated Gulf of Guinea Piracy Guidelines Published (Version 2)

In January 2013 a number of key industry organisations including the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), BIMCO, Intertanko and Intercargo produced “Interim Guidelines for Owners, Operators and Masters for protection against Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea Region”.

Given that the threat of piracy to shipping in this area continues to evolve and spread, the text of the interim guidelines has been updated and republished. The revised version of "Guidelines for Owners, Operators and Masters for protection against Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea Region (Version 2 - June 2016)” should be read in conjunction with Best Management Practices Version 4 (BMP 4).

The main change to the guidelines is in relation to vessels’ options for reporting their movements, suspicious activity and incidents within the region. Until recently the reporting service (MTISC – CoG) was based in Ghana, this has now been replaced by a new service called Marine Domain Awareness of Trade – Gulf of Guinea (MDAT – GoG) which is administered by the navies of the United Kingdom and France, from bases in the these countries. Vessels transiting the Voluntary Reporting Area (VRA) as shown on British Admiralty Chart Q6114 are encouraged to report their movements, suspicious activity and any incidents occuring within the VRA to MDAT – GoG in accordance with the updated guidelines.

Members requiring further guidance should contact the Loss Prevention department.