Reviewed: 22 August 2026
Best Management Practices for Maritime Security does not assign one security posture to every ship in a region. It gives companies and vessel teams a framework for understanding the threat, assessing the voyage and considering measures suited to the ship and circumstances.
That distinction matters because a boundary or recent incident cannot decide how a vessel should prepare. Piracy, armed robbery, missile attack, state interference and other threats differ in method and consequence. The vessel, route, cargo, timing and available support also change the exposure.
BMP Maritime Security helps turn that changing picture into preparation. It remains guidance, not a substitute for the Master’s authority, the Ship Security Plan, flag-state requirements or company procedures.
The current publication is BMP Maritime Security
The shipping industry issued BMP Maritime Security, often shortened to BMP MS, in 2025. It replaced the separate BMP5, BMP West Africa and Global BMP publications.
That change is more than a new title. Earlier editions were closely associated with Somali piracy and defined regions. BMP MS provides a global framework covering unlawful attacks by state and non-state actors, while directing users towards current threat information and regional reporting arrangements.
Older plans, articles and checklists may still refer to BMP5. Those references should be reviewed rather than carried forward automatically. The former Indian Ocean piracy High Risk Area was removed from 1 January 2023, although the Voluntary Reporting Area and regional reporting arrangements continue.
Preparation begins with the threat, not the checklist
A list of protective measures is easy to copy and difficult to apply well. A barrier intended to delay boarding does not answer a missile threat, while a reporting arrangement cannot make an unsuitable route safe.
BMP MS starts from a threat and risk assessment for the voyage. That means considering what could happen, where the vessel may encounter it, how vulnerable the vessel is and what consequence the event could create for the people on board and the operation.
The assessment then informs the measures considered in the plan. These may concern routing, timing, watchkeeping, access, communications, reporting, drills or physical protection, but they need to be proportionate to the supported threat and compatible with the vessel’s approved procedures.
The practical value is not that every measure is used. It is that the company and vessel can explain why the measures chosen fit the voyage they are about to make.
Reporting helps others see the same maritime picture
Voluntary reporting areas and regional centres allow merchant vessels, military forces and information organisations to share a clearer picture of activity and incidents.
Which centre is relevant depends on the waters involved. The Maritime Global Security resources linked from BMP MS provide current regional information, while the publication itself describes the reporting arrangements used in different areas.
Registration and reporting can improve awareness and support liaison or response. They do not amount to a protective escort, and a reporting boundary should not be read as the limit of the threat. The company and Master need to follow the current instructions for the intended area rather than relying on an old email address, form or copied passage plan.
For an insurer or charterer, reporting may also matter because it forms part of the agreed voyage preparation or evidence that the stated process was followed. The exact consequence depends on the policy, contract and facts, not on BMP MS alone.
Ship protection measures depend on the vessel and threat
BMP MS describes a range of measures that can make a vessel more difficult to approach, board or control and can help the crew respond if an incident develops. Their suitability changes with freeboard, speed, construction, cargo, manning and the waters involved.
Physical barriers, protected access, enhanced lookout, alarms, lighting, water systems and secure muster arrangements can each have a place in a security plan. They also introduce practical and safety considerations. A measure that obstructs emergency escape, creates a hazard for the crew or cannot be maintained during the voyage may weaken rather than strengthen the overall plan.
The same caution applies to privately contracted armed security personnel. Their use raises flag, coastal-state, contractual, insurance and rules-for-the-use-of-force questions that require specialist assessment. BMP MS should be read with the relevant current guidance; it does not create a general instruction to embark armed guards.
The appropriate measures remain for the company and Master to determine through their approved processes.
The voyage may change after the plan is approved
A passage plan prepared weeks before departure can be overtaken by an incident, a change in state activity or new regional guidance. The vessel may also change its route or timing for commercial or operational reasons.
This is why the threat assessment needs a clear date and reasons for reconsideration. A new attack, a change in the intended route, an altered reporting arrangement or a material shift in the vessel’s profile may justify another look before the ship reaches the affected waters.
Reassessment does not mean reacting to every report. It means recognising when new information could change the measures, timing or willingness to proceed.
For the shore team, insurer, charterer or financier, that review also preserves a record of which picture informed the decision. It is more useful than assuming that an undated checklist still represents the conditions ahead.
Where Verihelm contributes
Verihelm supports the assessment part of voyage preparation. It brings approved assessments, relevant incidents and changing threat areas together around the voyage, allowing the customer to examine where the risk changes between route legs.
See how a Verihelm Voyage Risk Assessment examines where risk changes along the proposed route.
Voyage risk assessments are produced through the Verihelm platform, pass through Dryad Global’s internal quality-control process and carry a visible approval status. Dryad Global’s intelligence team applies judgement where reporting is unclear, threats overlap or the potential consequence requires closer attention.
Verihelm does not implement the Ship Security Plan, prescribe ship-protection measures, register the vessel with reporting centres, arrange armed security or confirm compliance with BMP MS. It provides intelligence and assessment that the company and Master can consider alongside the current guidance and their own responsibilities.
BMP MS provides the framework. The voyage assessment helps show what that framework needs to address for the waters and transit ahead.
This article provides general information and analysis. It is not legal, insurance or vessel-specific operational advice. Use the current BMP Maritime Security publication and follow applicable flag, coastal-state, company, insurer and official reporting requirements.