New security guidance published for the shipping industry

Shipping associations BIMCO, CLIA, IMCA, ICS, INTERCARGO, INTERTANKO, and OCIMF have joined forces to produce a consolidated guidance document that provides advice on mitigating various types of maritime security risks to ships, writes Jakob Larsen, Chief Safety & Security Officer, BIMCO, in the latest issue of the International Union of Marine Insurance newsletter, IUMI EYE. Entitled ‘Best Management Practises for Maritime Security’ (BMP MS), it incorporates risk mitigation advice previously found in BMP5 and BMP West Africa.

The publication outlines basic information about threat types, risk assessment methodology, security planning measures, risk mitigation measures, and post-incident actions; it also provides details on reporting and information centres and seafarer welfare support. The BMP MS complements other guidance from the IMO, Flag States, and P&I Clubs.

The threat information contained in the BMP MS is generic and not hinged on specific geographies and is therefore deemed enough to fully cover the needs of the shipping industry.

To inform in more detail about threats in specific geographic regions and thereby enable voyage specific security risk assessments, the same group of associations (except for OCIMF) have published the Maritime Industry Security Threat Overview (MISTO). MISTO provides general and situational information.

MISTO focuses on physical threats to maritime that have the potential to cause serious harm to people, the environment, ships, and cargo. This includes acts of piracy, armed robbery, terrorism, and war/armed conflict. In cases where physical security threat actors also pose cybersecurity threats, these are included in the threat description.

Currently covered threats in the MISTO include Niger Delta based pirates, Somalia based pirates, pirates and armed robbers in Straits of Malacca and Singapore, the Houthis in Yemen, and threats emanating from Russia’s war against Ukraine.

MISTO aims to provide an understanding of prevailing security threats and is intended for use alongside the Best Management Practices (BMP) for Maritime Security. The BMP offers structured guidance on the security risk assessment process, including various methods of risk mitigation. In conjunction these two guidance documents form a cornerstone in the shipping industry’s security risk management efforts.