ENG    CHN    2012-12-20 RT agreed GoG anti-piracy guidance

Members will be aware that the piracy situation in the Gulf of Guinea appears to have been escalating recently. As a response to this apparent escalation a number of industry bodies, including Intertanko, Intercargo, and the International Chamber of Shipping, have published interim guidelines for protection against piracy in the Gulf of Guinea.

These interim guidelines are generic in nature and rely heavily on BMP4 which was produced specifically in response to Indian Ocean piracy. As such the interim guidelines are subject to revision and review as the situation in West Africa develops.

Members who may be considering trading their vessels to West Africa and in particular Nigeria, Togo and Benin can contact the club’s loss prevention department for further information.

Introduction of the interim guidelines

Piracy and armed robbery (hereafter referred to as piracy) in the Gulf of Guinea region is an established criminal activity and is of increasing concern to the maritime sector. With recent attacks becoming more widespread and violent, industry has now identified an urgent need to issue these Guidelines.

Although piracy in the Gulf of Guinea region in many ways differs from that of Somalia based piracy, large sections of the Best Management Practices already developed by industry to help protect against Somalia based piracy are also valid in the Gulf of Guinea region. Consequently, these interim Guidelines aim to bridge the gap between the advice currently found in BMP4 and the prevailing situation in the Gulf of Guinea region. Consequently, these guidelines should be read in conjunction with BMP4 and will make reference to BMP4 where relevant.

These interim Guidelines have been developed by BIMCO, ICS, INTERCARGO and INTERTANKO, and are supported by NATO Shipping Centre.

Pirates in the Gulf of Guinea are flexible in their operations so it is difficult to predict a precise area of falling victim to piracy. As of 28 March 2012 the London Market’s Joint War Committee defines the following ‘Listed Areas for Hull War, Piracy, Terrorism and Related Perils’ for the Gulf of Guinea:

• The territorial waters of Benin and Nigeria, plus
• Nigerian Exclusive Economic Zone north of latitude 3 °N, plus
• Beninese Exclusive Economic Zones north of latitude 3 ° N.

However, recent incidents suggest that the area is liable to change. For the purpose of this interim Guidance the area off the coasts of Nigeria, Togo or Benin can be regarded as an area in which the counter-piracy management practises should be considered.

See attached file: 2012-12-20 RT agreed GoG anti-piracy guidance.pdf & BMP4 Chinese.pdf

海盗 – 几内亚湾

近来几内亚湾海盗形势日趋严峻。为此，业界组织包括国际独立油轮船东协会(Intertanko)，国际干散货船东协会 (Intercargo) 以及国际航运公会，共同出台了几内亚湾海盗防范的临时性指南，以应对当地的海盗问题。

这些临时性指南具有通用性，很大程度上借鉴应对印度洋海盗袭击的《最佳管理措施》(BMP4)，并根据西非局势发展做出修正。

营运船舶前往西非尤其是尼日利亚、多哥和贝宁的会员，可与协会防损部联系获得更多信息。

临时性指南文件简介

几内亚湾的海盗行为和武装抢劫(下文中称海盗行为)是既定的犯罪活动并受到海运界越来越多的关注。随着目前海盗袭击范围的扩大和暴力程度的上升，目前业界认为急需出台这方面的指南。

尽管几内亚湾区域的海盗行为与索马里海盗行为存在很多差异，但是经业界修订的有助于防范索马里海盗的《最佳管理措施》(BMP4)中的大部分章节对几内亚湾区域同样有效。因此，本临时性指南旨在消除现行BMP4中的建议与几内亚湾区域实际状况的差距。因此，这一指南应结合BMP4阅读，并参照其中相关内容。

这些临时性指南由波罗的海国际航运公会(BIMCO)，国际航运公会(ICS)，国际干散货船东协会(Intercargo)和国际独立油轮船东协会(Intertanko)共同起草，并得到北约(NATO)航运中心的支持。

几内亚湾海盗活动的区域具有灵活性，因此很难确定会遭受海盗袭击的准确区域。2012年3月28日，伦敦市场战争风险评估委员会将几内亚湾纳入”船舶战争、海盗行为、恐怖主义和相关高风险区域” 。

• 贝宁和尼日利亚海域，及
• 北纬3度以北的尼日利亚专属经济区，及
• 北纬3度以北的贝宁专属经济区

但是，近期案件表明海盗活动区域可能发生变化。本临时性指南认为，尼日利亚、多哥或贝宁外海岸可被视为应考虑采取反海盗行为管理措施的区域。

详细信息请参阅附件。