The ICC International Maritime Bureau (IMB) has announced the introduction a new piracy prevention service. The announcement came at the conclusion of the 6th Tri-annual Conference on Piracy and Maritime Security, held 12 and 13 June in Kuala Lumpur.

The Maritime Security Hotline is a confidential communication procedure that will enable seafarers and others in the shipping industry to report any suspicious information regarding maritime crime, including terrorism, to the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre. This service will be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week and will be accessible from any location worldwide.

The number for the IMB Maritime Security Hotline can be contacted via telephone on +603 2031 0014 or e-mail on imbsecurity@icc-ccs.org.uk.

IMB Director Pottengal Mukundan stated: “The crew of vessels and others in the shipping industry may have critical information related to terrorism, smuggling or other serious maritime crimes. In the past, those on the front lines of the shipping and port industries have been hesitant to provide this information, fearful of the consequences to themselves or their families. This new service will allow security intelligence to be reported anonymously and without delay.”

The Maritime Security Hotline consists of a constantly monitored communications command centre capable of receiving secure telephone and e-mail reports. This new service will be manned from the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre in Kuala Lumpur. Those at the forefront of the maritime world will be able to provide secure, private first person accounts to IMB, an independent agency not directly affiliated with any traditional intelligence institution. IMB will interpret and categorize all reports and forward all necessary information to the relevant authorities.

The new service has the potential to improve anti-piracy efforts in those areas identified as the world’s worst locations for maritime security. As outlined at the 6th Tri-annual Conference on Piracy and Maritime Security, both East Africa and the Malacca Straits remain piracy hotspots. The Maritime Security Hotline will allow mariners working on a day-to-day basis in dangerous locations like these to file confidential reports of any suspicious or illegal activity.

For more information about the Maritime Security Hotline, please contact the IMB at: Tel. ++ 44 20 8591 3000 or E-mail: imb@icc-ccs.org.uk