Piracy or security incident — immediate steps

Suspected or actual piracy, armed robbery, or security incident. Report immediately to IMB + the relevant regional coordination centre.

Immediate action (do this first)

1. Trigger the SSAS (Ship Security Alert System) if fitted.
2. Report to IMB Piracy Reporting Centre: +60 3 2031 0014 (24/7) + [email protected].
3. Notify UKMTO on VHF 08 or +971 50 552 3215 (Indian Ocean / Gulf of Aden).
4. For Gulf of Guinea: notify MDAT-GoG: +33 2 98 22 88 88.
5. Follow BMP5 (Best Management Practices, 5th edition) — citadel, evasive manoeuvres, razor wire.

Evidence to save

• Position + course + speed at time of contact (logged every 5 min).
• Vessel descriptions of attackers (number, type, approach pattern, weapons visible).
• Photographs + AIS screen capture if safe to take.
• Audio recordings of any radio contact.
• Crew accounts of who saw what, with timestamps.

Escalation chain

1. IMB Piracy Reporting Centre (24/7, Kuala Lumpur)
2. UKMTO (Indian Ocean / Gulf of Aden) or MDAT-GoG (Gulf of Guinea)
3. Flag-state authorities — Required under SOLAS + ISPS.
4. Naval coalition forces if in HRA (CMF, EU NAVFOR Atalanta, CTF 151)
5. P&I club + War Risk insurer — Required for insurance coverage.

Do NOT

• Don't sign any release / waiver to a third-party 'rescue' or 'negotiator' without P&I + flag-state approval.
• Don't make any post-incident statement to anyone other than flag-state authorities + the Master's lawyer.
• Don't transit High Risk Areas without BMP5 compliance + war-risk insurance in place.

Last verified 13 days ago