News 28 May, 2020 Piracy on the Rise Maritime piracy continues to be a major concern in many of the global shipping lanes, but this has now shifted to the Gulf of Guinea, South East Asia and most recently, the Gulf of Mexico. Download PDF Over past years, global locations where Maritime piracy has been prevalent have significantly evolved. Previously, the main areas of pirate activity were centred around the Indian Ocean/Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden and Red Sea. However, with the implementation of the Maritime Security Transit Corridor in the (Gulf of Aden to the Red Sea) which is patrolled by the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) , piracy in the region has significantly decreased. The CMF is a multinational naval partnership, which exists to promote security, stability and prosperity across approximately 3.2 million square miles of international waters, which encompass some of the world’s most important shipping lanes. In November 2019, a US-led coalition created to secure shipping lanes in the Middle East was formally launched. The International Maritime Security Construct (IMSC) was launched in response to a series of attacks on vessels and onshore facilities that some coalition members blamed on Iran. The presence of the IMSC (formerly known as Operation Sentinel) further strengthens security and stability throughout the region protecting ships that transit the Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The United Kingdom Marine Trade Operations (UKMTO) is operated by the Royal Navy principally with the purpose of providing an information conduit between military which (includes/security forces) and the wider international maritime trade operating in the following High-Risk Areas (HRA): Indian Ocean - UK Admiralty Chart No Q6099 West Africa/Gulf of Guinea – Admiralty Chart No Q6114 The UKMTO also operate Voluntary Reporting Areas (VRAs) for vessels entering and transiting HRA’s, as detailed in the Admiralty Maritime Security Charts. The VRA program is ai