Page 10 - 2022 - Q1 - Minerva in Focus

SAFETY & SECURITY

“Trick or Treat” Reduction: Abolishment of High Risk

Area in the Indian Ocean Region

If carried out, a piracy can have cata- The private maritime security sector was the first pillar that was called to safeguard
strophic consequences such as damage vessels in the IOR. It has played a decisive role in preventing piracy incidents, thus sig-
to the vessel, cargo robbery, injuries nificantly mitigating piracy risks in the High Risk Area (HRA) by defending and protecting
or even loss of human life, crew men- vessels and crews.
tal health problems, sea pollution due
to possible attack, and damage to the What lies ahead
Company’s reputation. In addition, any of
these consequences can have a tremen- The gradual reduction of the HRA has not affected the utilization rate of vessels using
dous financial impact on the shipping Private Armed Security Teams (PAST), nor the reporting in the area because all parties
company, which might have to spend mil- realize that the piracy has been repressed. However, the root cause, the intention, and
lions of dollars on repairing the damage the tendency for piracy are still there. However, a few companies also take advantage of
and recovering from the loss. this high PAST utilization rate and select not to use PAST onboard.
“ threat of Somali gangs off the country’s coast for the next three months. The intention
The UN Security Council voted to allow overseas Naval Forces to continue combatting the

is to subsequently review the decision and extend the mandate, as they recognize that
the maritime threat can cause instability on land regions, triggering additional threats.
An unstable geopolitical
situation ashore could mean The existing Holistic Maritime Security System (HMSS) has managed to repress the pi-
racy threat. Should any of its components be abolished, resurgent piracy could still
piracy is likely to return. pose a threat. The UN believes piracy has been repressed but not eradicated. Many
coordinators consider the three–month extension a security vacuum, as its very brief
” shipping industry decides to stop deploying PAST onboard their vessels. An unstable
duration, could lead to a resurgence of piracy if naval operations discontinue, or the
geopolitical situation ashore could mean piracy is likely to return. Maritime security
measures should be preserved. Any abolishment of PAST or the Coalition Forces would
require significant recovery time and cost for the security forces to be re-established
should the need/threat arise. The security forces should remain present and active.

Risk Assessments help identify threats and minimize their consequences. However, they
should be taken into consideration mainly when carried out by experts and those who
by Diaplous Group are active in the field.

10 MINERVA IN FOCUS – ISSUE 19 / Q1 2022