KEY industry bodies have published an updated version of the Best Management Practices for Maritime Security, which offers guidance to masters and seafarers on how best to navigate in regions of significant risk.

BIMCO, the International Chamber of Shipping, Intertanko, Intercargo, the International Association of Classification Societies, along with 40 other supporting stakeholders, published the updated BMP this week.

The guidance contains specific information on sea mines and anti-ship missiles, plus advice on how a ship’s citadel should be prepared in the event of an attack.

BIMCO secretary-general David Loosley highlighted the “unprecedented spike in attacks against merchant ships” seen in 2024 when launching the new guidance.

“Ships were attacked with weapons of war in the Black Sea and in the Southern Red Sea more than a hundred times, and four innocent seafarers lost their lives.

“Globally, 126 seafarers were held hostage during pirate attacks and armed robberies, and 12 seafarers were kidnapped. BMP MS will reduce risks and save lives. While we cannot control how the threats will develop in 2025 and beyond, we can make sure that we have the best tools available to help protect our seafarers and world trade,” he said.

The reminders of the threats seafarers face, if shipping needed any, have been all too frequent in recent weeks.

While it could be said the Houthis will continue to “hunker down” amid increased US military pressure, as maritime solicitors Tatham & Co partner Stephen Askins put it, other threats are back on the table.

Ten members of asphalt tanker Bitu River (IMO: 9918133) were taken hostage in the Gulf of Guinea in late March, while a pirate raid on a bulker in Port au Prince on April 2 saw two crew kidnapped, according to a report by Ambrey.

“Kidnapping has become an industry and exporting this to the maritime sector and adopting a Nigerian pirate business model will give a headache to owners that still call there and their underwriters,” Askins wrote on LinkedIn.

“In a country where the court system has collapsed and the law enforcement agencies have been compromised by corruption, this is not a benign environment.”

Askins explained that any ransom payment encourages others and can lead to inflation very quickly.

“Let’s hope that this is a one off and not the start of something that gains momentum,” he said.