Shipping industry to remove Indian Ocean High Risk Area January 2023 as piracy dips

The global shipping industry has agreed to declassify the Indian Ocean coastline off Somalia as a “high-risk area” (HRA) following years of successful counter-piracy operations.

The change was approved by marine groups including the International Chamber of Shipping and will be operational from January next year, they said in an emailed statement on Monday.

“The removal of the HRA reflects a significantly improved piracy situation in the region, largely due to concerted counter-piracy efforts by many regional and international stakeholders. No piracy attacks against merchant ships have occurred off Somalia since 2018,” according to the statement.

The IMO has been informed of the decision made by International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), BIMCO, International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA), INTERCARGO, INTERTANKO and Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF).

“Measures enacted to secure the waters by military, political, civil society, and shipping industry, as well as Best Management Practices guidance, have reduced the threat of piracy in the Indian Ocean.

“The removal of the HRA will come into effect 1 January 2023, allowing charterers, shipowners and operators time to adapt to the changed threat from piracy.

“Best Management Practices 5 (BMP5) will continue to provide the necessary guidance for shipping to ensure threat and risk assessments are developed for every voyage to mitigate the risks presented by remaining security threats in the region.

“The shipping industry will continue to monitor and advise on maritime security threats to assist the safe transit of vessels and the seafarers who crew them.

“Pre-voyage threat and risk assessments should consider the latest maritime security information from organisations supporting the VRA,” the statement said.

For more than a decade, pirates from Somalia launched hundreds of attacks on commercial vessels in East African waters, in some cases earning millions of dollars in ransom and forcing shipping companies to adopt security measures such as employing armed guards and installing barbed wire. The dangers were depicted in the 2013 Oscar-nominated movie Captain Phillips, starring Tom Hanks.