Updated 21 January 2021
Piracy and armed robbery against vessels are some of the modern day challenges of the maritime and offshore industries. Recent incidents, especially off the West African coast, have reminded the shipping industry and the public in general about the violence and cruelty with which piracy attacks are conducted, the dangers faced by those on board, as well as the significant losses that may occur both in terms of human life and property.
While most incidents continue to occur in the Gulf of Guinea, waters of South-East Asia and the Western Indian Ocean, acts of piracy and armed robbery against vessels are not restricted to these known ‘high risk’ regions. Available data shows that armed robberies at ports in South and Central America and Caribbean waters are not uncommon as are attacks on offshore support vessels operating in the southern rim of the Gulf of Mexico. Prior to entering any piracy prone area, it is therefore important to review the vessel security plan in light of latest information received, conduct a voyage specific risk assessment, brief and train the crew and prepare and test the vessel’s emergency communication plans. Planning ahead is key!
Below we have provided an overview of Gard’s most relevant publications on this topic. We have also highlight some of the measures that can be taken to avoid attacks by pirates and armed robbers and provided links to some of the relevant guidelines and websites that may assist vessel operators, masters and crews to stay alert and prepare and respond to piracy and armed robbery attacks.
Gard material
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Work of the International Maritime Organization (IMO)
The threat posed by piracy and armed robbery against ships has been on the IMO's agenda since the early 1980s. Reports of actual and attempted attacks by pirates and armed robbers against ships are continuously promulgated via the Piracy and Armed Robbery module within the IMO’s Global Integrated Shipping Information System (GISIS) as soon as they are received from Member States and reporting organizations. The organization has adopted appropriate guidance aimed at assisting governments, ship operators and crew on preventing and suppressing acts of piracy and armed robbery against ships, such as:
A definition of ‘piracy’ can be found in Article 101 of UNCLOS whereas a definition of ‘armed robbery against ships’ can be found in IMO Resolution A.1025(26).
The IMO also supports the various best practice guides developed by the shipping industry and which outline appropriate procedures to be employed when responding to acts or attempted acts of piracy and armed robbery against ships in specific regions. Click here for an overview of the latest guidance adopted by the IMO regarding piracy related matters.
Industry best practice guides
The Maritime Global Security website (https://www.maritimeglobalsecurity.org/) is supported by a number of shipping industry associations, including the International Group of P&I Clubs (IG), and serves as a ‘one stop shop’ for maritime security advice. It provides links to all security-related guidance produced by the industry as well as to many useful maritime and military security resources. Drop-down menus allow users to find relevant information and guidance either based on types of maritime security risks or geography and specific trading areas. Central to the website is a collection of best practice guides to assist companies and mariners to risk assess voyages and detect, avoid, deter or delay piracy attacks, such as the:
How to avoid attacks by pirates and armed robbers
In summary, the fundamental requirements of any best practice to avoid attack by pirates and armed robbers are:
Understand the threat
Assess the risk and determine the ship protection measures to be applied
Prepare the crew
Register and report
VRA |
Reporting centre |
Admiralty charts |
Western Indian Ocean |
The Maritime Security Centre - Horn of Africa (MSCHOA)
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) |
Q6099 Q6111 |
West Africa |
The Marine Domain Awareness for Trade - Gulf of Guinea (MDAT-GOG) |
Q6114 |
South-East Asia |
The Singapore Information Fusion Centre (IFC) of the Singaporean Navy* |
Q6112 Q6113 |
* The IFC does not serve as a regional reporting centre for immediate incident reporting. In Asia, all such reports should be made to the coastal state or nearest ReCAAP focal point. |
Insurance cover for piracy
The International Group of P&I Clubs has produced a “Piracy- FAQs” document to provide general clarification and guidance on a number of matters concerning insurance cover issues arising out of piracy incidents. It provides an overview of the scope of cover provided by P&I, H&M, and war risks insurance, discusses questions related to engagement of private maritime security guards, and reviews some relevant charterparty issues.
While the questions and answers in the document are focused on piracy in the High-Risk Area in the Indian Ocean, they also apply to piracy and armed robbery against vessels in the Gulf of Guinea and other similarly affected areas.
Use of armed private security guards onboard ships
The decision to engage privately contracted armed security personnel (PCASP) onboard ships is an operational one for ship operators. There is no cover restriction or prohibition per se on the engagement of or the use of PCASP and Gard’s current position on this is neutral.
However, to place PCASP onboard a ship should only be considered after a thorough risk assessment and should not be a substitute for, but in appropriate cases, a supplement to effective compliance with the latest versions of industry best practice guides. In making such a decision, we expect our Members and clients to follow the due diligence principles set out in the latest version of IMO MSC.1/Circ.1405 and ensure they comply with all applicable laws and regulations, including those of their flag state, coastal states and any other relevant authority.
BIMCO has developed an agreement, GUARDCON, for the hire of the services of private security guards onboard ships which, since its inception, has provided contractual certainty for shipowners and private maritime security companies. It continues to serve as the benchmark contract for shipowners and IG clubs and we strongly recommend the use of BIMCO GUARDCON.
Overview of external sources of information