MSCHOA

The Maritime Security Centre Horn of Africa, run by EUNAVFOR Operation Atalanta, the planning and coordination center for the protection of merchant shipping against Somali piracy. Ships transiting the High Risk Area register with MSCHOA, which manages group transits and the Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor schedule, monitors registered vessels, and passes information between merchant operators and naval forces. MSCHOA works in tandem with UKMTO, the latter being the first point of contact in an incident, while MSCHOA handles vessel registration and transit planning.