Boarded: What the New BMP Guidance Actually Changes

Two Vessels, Two Boardings, Two Very Different Outcomes

In 2020, twenty Greenpeace activists closed on Allseas' deep-sea mining vessel Hidden Gem in Rotterdam by small boat, scaled its sides, and hung a banner reading “No Deep Sea Mining.” No confrontation, no damage, no injuries. Twelve years earlier, in Broadhaven Bay, Ireland, Shell to Sea campaigners boarded Allseas' pipe-laying vessel Solitaire during the Corrib gas dispute — the vessel's crane was damaged in the incident, forcing it back to Britain for repairs before the job was finished.

Why BIMCO Updated the Guidance

BIMCO's updated BMP Maritime Security guidance now has a dedicated section for activist boardings, because they are no longer rare enough to improvise a response to. The guidance is built on one core idea: these are almost always peaceful, planned, media-focused actions — usually supported by a mothership and drones filming the event — and the vessel's job is to not turn a media event into a safety incident.

What Not to Do

• Don't physically confront boarders
• Don't deploy anti-boarding measures like water cannons or razor wire once someone is already aboard
• Don't interfere with drones
• Don't film for personal social media
• Don't do anything that escalates the situation