OP/ED: The State of Piracy

Ambrey Risk discuss the current security situation. 

OP/ED: The State of Piracy

Piracy’s gone away, right? You’d be forgiven for thinking that.

The predominant narrative for the Indian Ocean is that Piracy has been suppressed to an extent that ship-owners are requesting fewer guards, even unarmed in some cases. Certainly private security team composition has adjusted beneath the “rule of four” and the nationality of guards has shifted significantly away from the UK only model. But given the recent attacks in South East Asia and the prevailing amount of maritime crime and piracy off the Gulf of Guinea, Piracy hasn’t been eradicated at all; it’s simply evolved and will continue to change as it has done for hundreds of years presenting a threat to global maritime trade.

The increased profile of South East Asia/Gulf of Guinea maritime crime and Piracy presents a challenge for PMSCs to offer a global client base effective risk management/mitigation services that can meet their needs. These threats can range from Somali style kidnap of crew and vessel for ransom, to Nigerian style extended duration robbery and kidnap to violent robbery in the Malacca straits. They are all very different and PMSCs must have a range of capabilities in order to advise shipowners properly. The challenge for the ship-owner is to select their PMSC carefully and build a long-term relationship based on detailed mutual understanding and trust.

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Source: marinelink.com

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