Gulf of Aden & Bab Al Mandeb – Maritime Security Transit Corridor

Recent attacks against merchant shipping in the Gulf of Aden and Bab Al Mandeb have prompted the multinational naval partnership that promotes security and stability across international waters, the Combined Maritime Forces, to extend the existing Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC) through to the Red Sea, so creating a continuous recommended route, the Maritime Security Transit Corridor (MSTC). Merchant vessels who use the MSTC will benefit from more targeted military presence and surveillance by the Combined Maritime Forces. To access a copy of the Combined Maritime Forces press release setting out their Guidance on the MSTC, click here.

Maps of the MSTC are available as follows:-

• Map of the MSTC, including IRTC, click here;
• Map of the two way route directly connecting the IRTC and the Bab Al Mandeb traffic separation scheme (BAM TSS), click here. Or click here for an enlarged copy;
• Map of BAMTSS and TSS west of the Hanish Islands, click here, or click here for an enlarged copy.