The maritime security committee (MSC) of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has approved the contingency guidelines for company security officers on hijacking by pirates in the Western Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden, which supplements existing guidelines.

The MSC noted the latest statistics on piracy and armed robbery against ships off the coast of Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden, where ships continue to be attacked and hijacked, despite the efforts of the international community, spearheaded by IMO, navies and the industry, to protect shipping.

The committee was also updated on measures taken by IMO to assist states in implementing the Code of Conduct concerning the repression of piracy and armed robbery against ships in the western Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden.

Following the establishment of a distribution facility at IMO headquarters in London, for the provision of flag State Long Range Identification and Tracking of ships (LRIT) information to security forces operating in waters of the Gulf of Aden and the western Indian Ocean, the IMO Secretary-General has received requests from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the European Union Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) for the provision of access to the distribution facility.