Indian Ocean Best Management Practices

UKMTO operates a Voluntary Reporting Scheme (VRS) for the Indian Ocean, specifically Red Sea, Gulf Of Aden, and Arabian Sea, (In accordance with Maritime Security chart Q6099) administered by the Maritime Trade Information Centre (MTIC)/UKMTO (Dubai).

UKMTO acts as the primary point of contact for merchant vessels and liaison with military forces in the region. Vessel are encouraged to report their positions (By email daily at 08.00 UTC) whilst operating in the area. The area comprises of the UKMTO Voluntary Reporting Area (VRA) and the High Risk Area (HRA). The HRA terminology is an industry designation where it is considered to be a higher risk of piracy and within which self-protective measures are most likely to be required.