Emergency Contact Security Advisory: Middle East Tensions - Insurance and Operational Guidance Home Latest updates News Security Advisory: Middle East Tensions - Insurance and Operational Guidance 18 Jun 2025 Sign up for alerts Tensions in the Arabian Gulf and wider Middle East continue to escalate amid Israel-US and Iran hostilities . The Joint Maritime Information Centre (JMIC) has raised the regional threat level to “Critical”, with confirmed missile and drone attacks against multiple commercial vessels within the Gulf of Oman, Musandam approaches, and UAE coastal waters. While no formal legal closure of the Strait of Hormuz (SoH)  has been declared, the operational environment reflects active kinetic hazard conditions in this area.   Insurance Position: P&I, War Risks, and Excess War Cover War Risks insurance provides cover for losses arising from specific perils such as war, terrorism, and related hostilities - perils that are generally excluded from standard P&I Rules-based cover and Hull & Machinery policies. This specialist cover is typically arranged through War Risk Clubs or market underwriters, and can be cancelled with as little notice as 72-hours in areas of heightened risk, known as Additional Premium (AP) areas. While P&I cover remains geographically broad, it excludes liabilities arising from war-like events, including acts of war, civil unrest, and use of weapons. However, liabilities unrelated to the conflict, such as a crew injury from a non-war-related incident, may still be recoverable. To bridge the gap, most International Group Clubs, including the Shipowners Club, offer Special War Risks P&I Excess Cover. This sits above the ship’s own war P&I cover and provides an additional limit (typically up to US$500 million) for war-related P&I liabilities exceeding the insured value of the vessel. Charterers can also obtain extensions to their P&I entries to restore cover for war-related liabilities, subject to