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

What to Do Instead

• Treat activism as a scenario in the ship's threat assessment, not a surprise
• Brief and drill crew on it in advance
• Assign a safe holding area for boarders
• Officially document the event — one designated crew member, not everyone with a phone
• Keep the Master's chain of communication to the company DPA and coastal authorities running throughout

The Line Between the Two Outcomes

The Solitaire and Hidden Gem incidents sit on either side of that line. One vessel's confrontational response cost it a working crane and a transit home for repairs. The other let the action happen, documented it, and lost nothing but a few hours. The difference wasn't luck — it was which response the crew chose in the first few minutes.

Related Reading

• Hormuz and Black Sea Security 2026 — the wider maritime security threat picture
• Strait of Hormuz and Red Sea Security — full 2026 threat assessment for transiting crew
• Seafarer Rights under MLC 2006 — your rights when a security incident affects your voyage