Advice to UK shipowners operating in the Persian Gulf following ‘Warlike’ designation

Further information for shipowners registered with the UK Chamber of Shipping is emerging from the UK Warlike Operations Area Committee (WOAC). 

On Friday, WOAC designated the Persian Gulf (PG), Straits of Hormuz (SoH) and Gulf of Oman (GOO) as a warlike area.

The move comes following advice from the Joint Maritime Information Centre that the security status of the Persian Gulf is deemed critical, meaning that attacks on shipping are likely.

WOAC has issued the following recommendation to operators of ships entered in the UK Chamber of Shipping:

1. In recognition of the additional risks, operators of all ships transiting and working in the specified area should adhere to the advice contained in their Ships Security Plan and, where relevant guidance on mitigation measures and reporting relevant to the area released by OCIMF, INTERTANKO, BIMCO and ICS, and the latest edition of Best Management Practice and take protective measures as appropriate against the possibility of an incident occurring.
2. Operators of any ship that is to transit the area should allow any of their seafarers who choose not to proceed to the specified area not to join the ship, or to leave the ship at a preceding port as appropriate and make special payments to all crew members remaining on board of 100% of basic pay, in respect of each day during which the ship is in the specified area, in recognition of higher risks associated with transiting and operating in this area. Such payments are to be in addition to all other remuneration earned.
3. Operators of any ship that are or will be within the designated area on commencement of this agreement should use their best endeavours to enable any of their seafarers who wish to leave the ship to do so at an appropriate port from which they can be repatriated as soon as is reasonably practical. Once this agreement has commenced, the operators will make special payments to all crew members remaining on board of 100% of basic pay, in respect of each day during which the ship is in the specified area, in recognition of the higher risks associated with transiting and operating in this area.  Such payments are to be in addition to all other remuneration earned.
4. Operators of ships operating in this area should ensure they obtain and adopt all the Security Levels and Advisories as per their relevant flag state. UK ships are advised to note the UK Government advice. UKMTO advisories, warnings, and contact information are available at http://www.ukmto.org/
5. The existing NMB compensation levels should be doubled in respect of the death or detention of any seafarer working on a ship in the specified area.
6. Companies should agree to underwrite any personal life assurance policies of seafarers serving on board ships in the specified area that might become invalidated as a result of their service in the specified area.
7. The recommendation applies from 6 March 2026. It will be valid for a period of one month and will then be reviewed by the Warlike Operations Area Committee on 6 April 2026 or earlier if advice from the relevant Flag State changes substantially.

UK WOAC is a tripartite negotiating group consisting of Nautilus International, the RMT Union and the UK Chamber of Shipping (UKCoS).

The IBF Warlike Operations Area Committee designated the Strait of Hormuz, Gulf of Oman and Persian Gulf as a Warlike Operations Area (WOA). IBF is comprised of the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) and the Joint Negotiating Group (JNG).

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