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The maritime industry received disappointing news with respect to ongoing naval support focusing on anti-piracy defenses in the Indian Ocean.
The UK has announced the International Navies assigned to anti-piracy defense are already stretched too thin, and will not be able to provide the same level of support to vessels operating in the Indian Ocean. Per British Foreign Secretary David Miliband, ships using the Indian Ocean will not get the same level of protection as the ships utilizing the predestinated shipping lanes established by the Coalition Navies for the Gulf of Aden.
The idea that Somali Pirates are operating at further distances out at sea should not come as a surprise. They have been the recipient of numerous ransom payments for the return of hijacked vessels and crewmembers. Several of the ransom payments have been multi-million dollar payments, which are often dropped to the gangs from helicopters. They have specifically targeted one of the most critical shipping lanes in the world, one that connects Europe to Asia. This area alone sees approximately twenty-two thousand vessels crossing the Gulf of Aden every year.
The large ransom payments that have been received by the Somali Pirates have allowed them to increase significantly their financial net worth. They now have the ability to purchase modern electronics and other surveillance equipment to improve their effectiveness at highjacking large vessels with expensive cargo. Expect to see the areas that the Somali Pirates operate in dramatically increase, and extend further out to sea beyond what we have seen in the past. I would also expect to see different types of boarding’s that will improve their success rates in actually gaining control of a vessel.
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The International Maritime Organization (IMO) and other maritime unions largely depend on Coalition Forces to prevent these pirate attacks from occurring. The IMO has released recommendations to counter pirate attacks, and shipboard procedures to implement when operating in high risk areas.
The recommendations, very prudent in nature, are said to represent the safest anti-piracy practices for the protection of the vessel crews. The IMO has specifically recommended against hiring armed private security teams to counter the pirate attacks. The IMO feels armed security guards on the vessels increases the level of violence and creates an unacceptable level of danger for the crew. This is a significant recommendation that needs to have definitive supporting facts to bring credibility to this critical statement on behalf of the IMO.
I believe the safety of the crews and the importance of global shipping warrants research and recommendations that go beyond opinion. Research that yields actionable facts, are usually driven by due diligence. And the most effective due diligence is performed by experienced professionals. It is important that vessel owners and shipping lines understand clearly the liability exposure associated with high-risk events, such as transiting areas within the strike area of pirate activity and make a well-informed decision on what solutions may or may not be viable. Following are what we do for clients that are critical areas of risk assessment and planning that vessel owners need to be aware of. By sharing with you how we approach risk assessment projects for clients, you can pinpoint things that come into play when evaluating your own needs.
Our project managers take an in-depth look at the client’s entire operating procedures. We identify each potential risk and provide a thorough analysis with a systematic method to cure any deficiencies identified. More times than not, we will also discover by-products of the risk being looked at that often manifest themselves in other real-time problems. These associated problems and hidden risks can create unintentional threats to the environment, equipment, or even negative publicity toward the client’s image. Obviously, things that any business owner/executive needs to know so that they can be addressed.
Once we have identified the risks and associated by-products of the risk, we build a comprehensive Risk Management Plan; a critical component of the overall report our client will receive. Our next area of research focuses on the criminology of incidents, and identifies the client’s greatest exposure to criminal elements. We sit down with the clients’ staff, and review relevant logs from past travel to identify criminal trends and events that may have occurred or been attempted. We also conduct a comprehensive review of the surrounding areas that the vessels commonly traverse and prepare a crime analysis for the particular area. This gives the client an in depth look at things like sea conditions, time of day, weather patterns, political events, types of vessels most commonly targeted, to include mode of operandi, and other events that may be relevant to the criminal activity. This criminology report is part of the overall plan we utilize to identify and minimize our threats for the client.
After completing our initial investigation and reports, we sit down with our client and discuss the results of our findings. We provide a fact-based professional opinion on the most effective means of eliminating or minimizing risks associated with their business procedures. We ensure our risk assessment will include solutions that coincide with best practice operating procedures.
Our team uses an approach that brings to mind, the triangle of fire analogy. Recognizing that fire has three elements critical for it to burn. Remove either oxygen, heat, or fuel source, and the fire will not burn. We believe the same for criminal activity and high-risk events, and have identified the three critical components needed for a “fire” exist. Crime requires opportunity, favorable location, and value. Our staff will utilize our comprehensive research-based, fact-driven reports and apply their elements to the three components of crime potential to determine which of the three areas could most effectively be negated with the least amount of interference with our client’s business operations. This time intensive task will be completed for each identified risk as described in our investigative reports.
Now that we have identified the risks and their by-products, and determined the best approach towards negating the criminal threats, we can formulate a means to deliver the desired result to the client utilizing available resources, and effective training procedures that need to be implemented. We help our clients formulate training plans, contingency planning and resources needed to effectively minimize or eliminate the identified risks and hazards. Additionally, we will assist our client with finding outside specialists in the event some of the identified risks require special skill sets. The reports will clearly identify the needed experience a person should have if our clients intend on hiring a person or team to negate specific threats or hazards.
In the event our client decides to hire security teams or other professional help, we conduct onsite interviews with candidates. We review the policy and procedures of the candidate or candidate vendor to ensure they can provide the services they are in consideration for to provide the client. We will also review the command and control structure of any company our client is considering hiring for services. We verify the integrity and leadership capabilities within the company being considered. This will include contacting past customers and verifying the quality of service they received.
These are the results that come from the level of due diligence that we provide clients when it comes to risk assessment and security policies, procedures and services for their operations. We work with clients to produce the most comprehensive risk management plan, and assistance—from the beginning phases of identifying risks, to implementation of training programs, and with assistance in the hiring of specialty assignments.
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