The purpose of this white paper I to Inform the reader condsely about the complex environment of maritime security in the Indian Ocean Region "IOR” and to assess whether the High-Risk Area “HRA” is worth it to be maintained or abolished.
The identification ofthe threats and the geopolitical analysis ofthe 1OR will help the reader to better understand what decisions to make based on the current risk in the area and the consequences that may result should the existing security measures applied are withdrawn,
The HRA reflects the area where the threat from piracy exists. n 2010 the HRA defined as the area bounded by Suez and the Strait of Hormuz to the North, 10°S and 78°E.
From 2010 until now the HRA has been reduced 3 times (2015, 2019,2021)
As per the latest amendment (1st September 2021), the HRA defined as the area bounded by Figure 1 Chart" Historical changes in HRA boundaries”.
It has been observed an eager intention from some representatives of International Organizations to declassify the HRA due to reasons known to them. In this paper, we will assess what a declassification of HRA would mean, which are the potential consequences and hazards that can be emerged despite that.