MPA Singapore issues Circular No. 13/2012 to remind Ship owners, ship managers, ship operators, ship agents and the shipping community to adopt Best Management Pracctices (BMP4) in order to deter piracy in the High Risk Area.

Reporting to MSCHOA and UKMTO

Registering with and reporting to the Maritime Security Centre - Horn of Africa (MSCHOA) and The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) are part of the key fundamentals of the BMP.

It is essential for all ships to keep the naval forces operating in the area aware of their sea passages through the High Risk Area. Once ships have commenced their passage, it is important that they continue to update the naval forces on their positions and movements.

Currently, the High Risk Area is bounded by:

a. Suez - for vessels entering or leaving the Gulf of Aden via the Red Sea

b. Strait of Hormuz - for vessels entering or leaving the Arabian Sea via the Gulf of Oman

c. Latitude 10°S - for vessels entering or leaving the Indian Ocean

d. Longitude 78°E - for vessels entering or leaving the Indian Ocean

Singapore-registered ships which are Transiting the High Risk Area or  Operating within the High Risk Area should register with BOTH the MSCHOA AND UKMTO.

The reporting requirements apply even if the ship is stationed for prolonged periods in ports or in the offshore waters of ports in the vicinity of the HRA.

The detail of reporting is as follows:

i. MSCHOA. Upon entering the High Risk Area, registration should be done online via the "Vessel Movement Registration Form" on the MSCHOA website: http://www.mschoa.org.

ii. UKMTO. Upon entering the High Risk Area, reporting should be done via the "Vessel Position Reporting Form - Initial Report". Ship masters should also report daily to the UKMTO via the "Vessel Position Reporting Form - Daily Position Report".

Upon reaching port, or upon exiting the High Risk Area, ship masters are to submit the "Vessel Position Reporting Form - Final Report". The reporting forms are attached as Annex B to the BMP. Reporting to the UKMTO is done via email: ukmto@eim.ae.

Masters of ships sailing within the Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC) while transiting through the Gulf of Aden should make use of the "Group Transit" scheme by registering with the MSCHOA.  Shipowners, managers and operators of Singapore-registered vessels are advised to instruct their shipmasters and crew to remain vigilant when passing through the High Risk Area and to monitor situational updates as per provided by the MSCHOA website http://www.mschoa.org. To view the contact details of MSCHOA and UKMTO click at the Circular below.

In addition, Singapore ships should implement self-protection measures which would act as highly-visible deterrents. Such measures would include arrangement of additional lookouts, installation of physical barriers and proceeding at full sea speed in the High Risk Area. The guidance contained in BMP was based on experiences of piracy attacks to date and these measures should be viewed as the minimum preparations that should be adopted. Ships making frequent transits through or operating in the High Risk Area should consider taking additional self-protection measures beyond the BMP recommendations to further reduce the risk of a successful piracy attack.

Fore more information click at MPA Singapore Circular No.14/2012

Source: MPA Singapore