Routing Advice for the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz and Oman Sea

The Persian Gulf, Hormuz Strait, and Oman Sea continue to remain one of the most challenging regions in terms of maritime security, with a wide variety of threats to vessels operating in the area. Along with military activity and political tensions in the Middle East, and previous incidents on merchant ships have only heightened concerns regarding the safety of navigation in this region.

These threats are constantly evolving and could vary with each subsequent voyage, posing a significant risk to commercial vessels. To address these concerns, maritime industry associations have issued a routing guidance, which can be accessed through the following link - Press / General Releases - INTERTANKO

Members with ships operating in this region are recommended to exercise extreme caution, and comply with the following measures to ensure safe and secure passage of their vessels:

1. Before entering the region, undertake a ship- and voyage-specific risk assessment. This assessment should consider factors such as safe speed, day/night transits, bridge manning levels, etc.;
   
   
2. Follow the routing advice provided in the latest advisory from the industry organisations;
   
   
3. Ensure that the shipborne automatic identification system (AIS) is kept ‘ON’. Switching AIS off could potentially be construed as an act where the ship is trying to hide its location and identity to conceal illegal activities.
   
   
4. Comply with the latest Best Management Practices (BMP5) and implement vessel hardening measures in accordance with the Ship Security Plan (SSP);
   
   
5. Consult the Maritime Global Security website, OCIMF hull vulnerability study, and the latest US Maritime Advisory for the region;
   
   
6. Register the ship's transit on the MSCHOA website and send daily reports to the UKMTO;
   
   
7. Refer to the guidance provided by the ship's Flag State and ensure that ISPS security levels are duly followed.