Joint War Committee News

A merchant ship sailing off Somalia has been hijacked by unknown raiders, Spain's defence ministry said on Tuesday, fuelling fears pirates are returning to the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea waters already plagued by a surge in attacks on shipping.A Spanish warship rushed to check on the Maltese-flagged vessel Ruen on Friday after reports it had been hijacked. It "has been under piracy (control) since the morning of Dec. 14," the ministry said in a statement, in its first confirmation of the ship's fate."The MV Ruen has indeed been hijacked.

London's marine insurance market has widened the area in the Red Sea it deems as high risk amid a surge in attacks on commercial ships, according to a statement issued on Monday.Guidance from the Joint War Committee, which comprises syndicate members from the Lloyd's Market Association (LMA) and representatives from the London insurance company market, is watched closely and influences underwriters' considerations over insurance premiums.The joint war committee widened the high risk zone to 18 degrees north from 15 degrees north previously, the statement said.(Reuters - Reporting by Jonathan S

London’s marine insurance market added Sudan to its of areas deemed high risk this week amid further fighting in the conflict-ridden African country, according to an advisory note.The addition of Sudan to the high risk list will mean that any ships sailing into the country will need to pay an additional war risk premium and also seek approval from their insurer.Advisory notes from the Joint War Committee, which comprises syndicate members from the Lloyd’s Market Association and representatives from the London insurance company market…

Key arrangements including procedures for ships still need to be worked out before empty vessels can come in and pick up cargoes from Ukraine using the new grains corridor, a senior London marine insurance market official said on Monday.Turkey and the United Nations brokered a grain-and-fertilizer export agreement between Russia and Ukraine last month - a rare diplomatic breakthrough in a conflict that is grinding on with no resolution in sight."The standard operating procedures for vessels still need to be worked out and there are issues about crewing that still need to be resolved…

The risk of coming across floating mines in the major Black Sea shipping route is adding to perils for merchant ships sailing in the region, and governments must ensure safe passage to keep supply chains running, maritime officials say.The Black Sea is key for shipping grain, oil, and oil products. Its waters are shared by Bulgaria, Romania, Georgia, and Turkey, as well as Ukraine and Russia, which have been at war since President Vladimir Putin invaded his southern neighbor on Feb.

London’s marine insurance market on Monday added all of Russia’s waters to its list of areas deemed high risk, an advisory showed.Guidance from the Joint War Committee, which comprises syndicate members from the Lloyd’s Market Association (LMA) and representatives from the London insurance company market, is watched closely and influences underwriters’ considerations over insurance premiums.Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24, the JWC last month added Ukrainian and Russian waters around the Black Sea and Sea of Azov to its high-risk areas…

London’s marine insurance market has widened the area of waters around the Black Sea and Sea of Azov that it deems high risk as Russia's invasion of Ukraine intensifies and perils to merchant shipping grow.The insurance industry's Joint War Committee (JWC) said in an advisory dated March 7 that the high-risk area had been widened to waters close to Romania and Georgia after initially adding Russian and Ukrainian waters in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov on Feb. 15.At least five commercial ships have been hit by projectiles since Feb.

London’s marine insurance market on Tuesday added the Ukrainian and Russian waters around the Black Sea and Sea of Azov to its list of areas deemed high risk as tensions persist in the region, a senior official said.Guidance from the Joint War Committee, which comprises syndicate members from the Lloyd’s Market Association (LMA) and representatives from the London insurance company market, is watched closely and influences underwriters’ considerations over insurance premiums.Following a buildup of Russian troops near Ukraine…

The art of drawing lines on maps is fraught with contention. Sir Mark Sykes and François Georges-Picot are likely unfamiliar to many, but their names and actions live on. Their role in carving up the Ottoman Empire toward the end of the of World War I created artificial borders in the Middle East—determined arbitrarily with a ruler and with no regard to ethnic or sectarian characteristics—highlights the unintended cartographic consequences that can arise when applying rigid models of expression to inherently dynamic areas.Designated areas of maritime risk…

Insurance costs for ships sailing through the Middle East have increased by at least 10% after attacks on two tankers in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday, with the potential for costs to rise further as regional tensions escalate, ship insurers said.The attacks have already stoked concerns about reduced flows of crude oil on one of the world's key shipping routes, pushing up oil prices by as much as 4.5%.Some tanker companies have already suspended new bookings to the Middle East…

London's marine insurance market has extended the list of waters deemed high risk to include Oman, the United Arab Emirates and the Gulf after ship attacks off Fujairah, officials said on Friday, in a move that could push up premiums.The London insurance market's Joint War Committee said in a statement that the additions cover areas of perceived enhanced risk for marine insurers and reflected enhanced regional risk."The situation will be kept under close review," said the Joint War Committee…

London's marine insurance market has extended the list of waters deemed as high risk to include Oman, the United Arab Emirates and the Gulf after ship attacks off Fujairah, officials said on Friday.The London insurance market's Joint War Committee issued a statement saying that the additions detail areas of perceived enhanced risk for marine insurers and reflect the enhanced regional risk.Its guidance is watched closely and influences underwriters' considerations over insurance premiums. (Reporting by Jonathan Saul Editing by David Goodman)

Global oil and shipping markets reacted nervously on Tuesday after an international arbitration court ruled against Beijing's claims across large swathes of the South China Sea, fuelling geopolitical tensions in the vital waterway. A tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands, found China had breached the sovereign rights of the Philippines and had no legal basis to its historic claims in the South China Sea, a major shipping lane between Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The ruling will be seen as a victory by other regional claimants such the Philippines and Vietnam…

China's growing military presence in the South China Sea has drawn warnings from the United States that Beijing is seeking to exert control over one of the world's most important sea lanes, but so far the shipping industry seems less concerned. Beijing has been increasingly assertive in staking its claim to almost the whole of the sea, though which trillions of dollars of trade passes each year. This month China landed its first test flights on a new 3,000 metre (10,000 ft) runway it has built on a reef in the Spratly Islands, drawing protests from Vietnam and the Philippines which have overlapping claims in the area. Despite the diplomatic tensions, merchant shipping says operations are, as yet, unaffected.

In October a number of trade bodies released a joint press release to formally announce a reduction of the High Risk Area (HRA). Insurance companies have said the reduction may not result in reduced insurance costs due to the assessment of insurance risk being dependent on such a wide and varying range of factors. "The Joint War Committee's (JWC) insurance notification area has always been different from the BMP/HRA and remains separate and unchanged for now. The JWC is scheduled to meet in December and will be mindful of the roundtable actions. It is impossible to say what action they will take, if any," said Neil Roberts from Lloyds Market association.

AtoBviaC Plc announces a new anti-piracy routing tool in its popular subscription 'BP Shipping Marine Distance Tables'. The AtoBviaC tool enables the ship operator to select routes based on the most current intelligence, and accurately calculate the time and fuel implications of the voyage. "In many cases this can work out to be considerably more accurate than the other available options and provides a level of self-determination that is missing from other solutions,” said Captain Trevor Hall, Director of AtoBviaC. Anti-Piracy Routing from AtoBviaC within the BP Shipping Marine Distance Tables is based upon information on piracy activity obtained on a regular basis from the Joint War Committee bulletins, and from specific routings requested by ship operators.

Applied Weather Technology, Inc. (AWT) announced that an expert judging panel has selected AWT, with its innovative fleet management system GlobalView, as the winner of the Systems category for the fifth annual Safety at Sea International Awards. AWT was also recognized as a finalist in the category of Security. Introduced in 2010 as the first fleet management system to provide critical maritime data within the visual presentation of Google Earth technology, AWT’s GlobalView is recognized by Safety at Sea as “a software system that has a direct and significant impact on improving safety of life at sea.”  Among its many safety features, GlobalView helpsfleet managers identify and monitor pirate activity so they can minimize the risk of attacks.

The Joint War Committee (JWC) of Lloyd's Market Association announced that the Malacca Straits would remain on its list of areas at risk from terrorism and other related perils. The announcement came despite a collective campaign by the three littoral states of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore to have the Malacca Straits removed from the list. The decision of the Joint War Committee is based on risk assessments of the region, which concluded that the Straits are a terrorist target. This will mean increased shipping costs for ships transiting the Straits. When similar war insurance premiums were applied to ships calling at Yemeni Ports following the terrorist attack on the French supertanker the MV Limburg in 2002, the impact on the Yemeni economy was severe.