Royal Navy office in Dubai serving as the primary point of contact for merchant vessels in the Indian Ocean / Gulf high-risk areas.
In practice
First call point for the master in any incident in the Indian Ocean / Gulf high-risk area. UKMTO coordinates response and informs CMF / EU NAVFOR.
Regulatory detail & full definition
United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations — Royal Navy office in Dubai serving as the primary point of contact for merchant vessels in the Indian Ocean, Gulf of Aden, Red Sea, and Arabian Sea high-risk areas. UKMTO maintains 24-hour watch, receives transit registrations, position reports, and incident reports from merchant ships, and provides navigational and security advisories. Masters report to UKMTO before entering the high-risk area and on any incident. UKMTO publishes weekly maritime security reports and coordinates with EU NAVFOR (MSCHOA) and Combined Maritime Forces.