Shipping’s security rulebook meets the missile age

Seventeen months after the publication of BMP Maritime Security, perhaps the uncomfortable question is no longer whether the guidance is good enough. It is whether any industry guidance can keep pace with a world in which merchant ships are increasingly navigating through the middle of a naval battlefield. Missiles. Drones. Mines. Electronic interference. State and non-state actors. Seafarers caught in the middle of geopolitical conflicts they neither created nor control. The maritime industry needs accurate and timely intelligence, safer routing and transit timing, resilient crews, robust risk analysis, responsible flag state support, and constructive cooperation from Port State Control. These remain essential elements in protecting ships, crews, and cargo. However, the nature of the threat has fundamentally changed. Best Management Practices (BMPs) developed in response to piracy, particularly the Somali piracy crisis. By 2025, the security environment confronting merchant shipping had changed dramatically. Piracy had not disappeared, but ships were increasingly exposed to geopolitical conflict, sophisticated targeting, missiles, unmanned systems, electronic interference, and threats from both state and non-state actors. In March 2025, BMP Maritime Security (BMP MS) replaced previous regional and counter-piracy guidance with a single global framework based on threat and risk assessment rather than geographical high-risk areas. BMP MS covers piracy, armed robbery, anti-ship missiles, mines, weaponized improvised explosive devices (WBIEDs), unmanned systems, and cyber/electronic threats. It shifts the approach to identifying threats, assessing individual vessel exposure, and determining appropriate mitigation and response. Its interactive format directs Masters and companies toward current intelligence, reporting centers, authorities, and seafarer welfare resources rather than outdated information. MISTO, the Maritime Industry Security Threat Overview, complements BMP MS by separating stable threat frameworks from time-sensitive intelligence and supporting voyage-specific threat assessments. BMP MS retains lessons from piracy but emphasizes that threats are no longer predictable in defined geographical areas. Instead, each voyage requires assessing the threat, vessel exposure, and mitigation. The seizure of the Galaxy Leader in November 2023 demonstrated how ownership, management, trading relationships, and perceived national affiliations influence targeting. Masters must now consider not just vulnerability but also whether the opposing side believes the ship belongs to a specific entity and if the ship has already been identified or monitored. Recent incidents underscore the urgency: on August 11, 2026, four seafarers were killed in an attack on the Egyptian-owned Tihamah in Bab el-Mandeb, attributed to the Houthis. Simultaneously, the Panama-flagged Vela Nova was reportedly fired upon by a US military helicopter during a blockade of Iranian ports. These attacks highlight the need for thorough risk assessment before transiting high-risk areas and adherence to BMP MS guidelines. The weapons themselves alter the mitigation strategy. Razor wire and citadels offer limited protection against anti-ship missiles. For some threats, avoiding the area may be the only viable mitigation, though rerouting increases fuel and insurance costs and disrupts schedules. Merchant vessels are often financed and mortgaged, meaning rerouting or stopping trade can impact financial obligations. Humanly, seafarers face prolonged exposure to missile and drone launch zones or minefields due to political or commercial constraints. BMP MS provides a sophisticated framework for understanding current threats but requires timely intelligence from agencies advising on safe routes. Ultimately, no guidance can ensure safety without peace, as the equation remains: no seafarers mean no shipping, which means no commerce.