U.S. bound cargo remains vulnerable to terrorists

It’s been more than a decade since Islamic terrorists attacked the U.S., yet the agency created to protect the nation from another strike is asleep at the wheel, failing to adequately screen the monstrous amounts of cargo that enter the country each day, according to a government report issued this week.

“Cargo containers that are part of the global supply chain — the flow of goods from manufacturers to retailers — are vulnerable to threats from terrorists [including weapons of mass destruction],” state the government analysts who assembled data for the new report.

It may seem unbelievable to most Americans that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that more than ten years after the worst terrorist attack in U.S. history, the vast majority of cargo containers entering the U.S. go unchecked.  Incredibly, it’s true and the alarming details are outlined in the GAO report published this week by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the investigative arm of the U.S. Congress.

The Maritime Transportation Security Act (MTSA) of 2002 and the Security and Accountability For Every (SAFE) Port Act of 2006 required the…………[continue reading]

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THE CONTINUING THREAT TO SHIPPING AND CARGO FROM ACTS OF PIRACY

A position paper of

The European Shippers’ Council

10 February 2012

‘European Shippers urge commitment from governments to protect shipping from pirate threat’

It is with grave concern that the European Shippers’ Council (ESC) views the continuing problem of piracy affecting cargo ships.

Representing shippers in Europe, many of whom use shipping to transport their cargo through the high risk areas, a year on from our last press statement on this issue, the ESC remains alarmed by the latest figures released by the ICC’s International Maritime Bureau. Although figures show a decreasing number of piracy attacks, the damage done is still unacceptably high

Already, in the first month of 2012 there have been 37 reported attacks on shipping and 2 hijackings. In 2011 there were over 420 attacks, and 42 hijackings.  Somalian pirates remain responsible for a large number of these incidents, and  are believed currently  to be holding some 150 hostages from 10 ships.  These are shocking figures for the 21st Century.

There is considerable sympathy among ESC’s members for the ship operators and their crews, who are facing this added peril at sea. It is understandable……..[access full paper here]

Pirate Fighters

A new centre takes the fight to the pirates.

They carry state of the art weaponry and are capturing hundreds of ships every year. Pirates from the coast of Somalia are becoming increasingly daring in their attacks, with 162 seafarers currently being held captive. But now a new high tech defence centre in the South is taking the fight to the terrorists.

Andy Dickenson spoke to Karen Jacques and Ian Millen from Dryad.

By: Andy Dickenson

Click here to access video here

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About Dryad Maritime Intelligence Service

Dryad Maritime was founded to ease the vulnerability of today’s commercial seafarers whose lives are increasingly at risk from the global threats of terrorism, piracy and other waterborne crime.

During his service in the Royal Navy, Dryad Maritime’s founder Graeme Gibbon Brooks, witnessed first-hand the impact a lack of commercially-available intelligence was having on the world’s merchant fleet. Identifying there was a void between naval protection and the merchant fleet’s abilities to mitigate the risks themselves, Dryad Maritime set out to provide intelligence to the commercial industry that would enable crews to better protect themselves against the rising level of crimes at sea.

Initially offering their services to the super yacht industry, word soon spread of Dryad’s products. Today more than 5,000 vessels at sea in the commercial shipping, super yacht and leisure industries are in receipt of Dryad’s daily flash incident and advisory reports; actively safeguarding the commercial interests of countless organisations worldwide and directly contributing to the Safety of Lives at Sea (SOLAS).

For further information go to: http://www.dryadmaritime.com/

Speaking to newsmen during a familiarization tour aboard the vessel on Monday, Cdr Milliken said they were in Ghana to participate in the Africa Partnership Station (APS) programme, an international security co-operation initiative, aimed at strengthening global maritime partnerships, to improve maritime safety and security on the continent.

He said more than 40 maritime professionals from the Ghana Navy, as well as 10 ship riders from partner nations, including Benin, Cameroon, Gabon, Nigeria, the Republic of Congo and Togo, are beneficiaries of the training programme.

The Commanding Officer said the course participants are being taken through topics in basic first aid and basic damage control.

The prime minister said in October that UK ships could carry armed teams.

Gavin Simmonds, defence and security head at the Chamber of Shipping, estimated that 20-30% of UK ships in the high risk area had armed guards.

But a security industry spokesman said the process for approving security firms was “not fit for purpose”.

“There are a number of major UK companies who would not have wanted to have gone against the government’s advice and did not change their policy on this until after the prime minister’s announcement was made,” Mr Simmonds told the BBC News website.

But since then they had started the practice of carrying armed guards, he went on, “And I am totally confident that they are being carried in compliance with all the new procedures.”

He was speaking as the UK prepared to host an international conference on the problems of Somalia on Thursday.

However, Peter Cook, director of the Security Association of the Maritime Industry (Sami), said the circumstances surrounding approval of companies to provide armed teams for UK ships were “challenging”.

Click here to continue reading.

Story courtesy of the BBC.

How the London talks can give hope to Somalis

The Somalia London conference must take concrete action in key areas if the state’s spirit and prospects are to be revived

In a few days, there will be a gathering in London, hosted by the British government, to discuss the grim saga of Somalia. For the past two decades, the country has become the poster-child for wretchedness – with a loss of civic solidarity, the destruction of the national state and institutions, an absence of able and legitimate leadership, and violent foreign interventions or mediocre international succour.

To date, more than a dozen international conferences have been convened to address this condition. Despite noticeable contributions to assuage some of the calamities, such as the current famine, none of the meetings has amounted to more than contemptuous endorsements of stop-gap political dispensations. These affirmed the worst of an opportunistic Somali lumpen-elite: civic degeneration and a retribalisation of everything in pursuit of personal gain.

The test of the London conference is whether it will be more of the same or mark out a different approach. Many Somalis and their friends fear the signals are discouraging: the invited Somali “stakeholders” represent some of the same factions that have been responsible for blocking the resuscitation of a national spirit.

If the London meeting ends merely with……..[access full article]

Maritime Security: Government’s Disguised Promise Of Insecurity

Despite public outcry against its concessioning of security of its waters, the federal government has refused to reason with the Nigerian citizens. By contracting Nigeria’s maritime security to a private firm, experts say the federal government has insensitively displayed its lack of understanding of the intensity of maritime security, SAMSON ECHENIM writes

Amidst controversies and criticisms by experts and well-meaning Nigerians, the federal government went ahead to approve the $103.4 million (N16 billion) contract to Global West Vessel Specialist Nigeria Limited (GWVSNL), a private firm believed to be owned by an ex-militant, Mr. Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo.

Even as the Federal Executive Council approved the 10-year concession of maritime security on Lagos to Calabar coastline to GWVSNL two weeks ago, the public-private partnership department of the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has denied that security itself was part of the contract.

The federal government did not stop there. It is also using its might to influence experts’ and stakeholders’ position and opposition to what appears to be one of the latest government’s ‘settlement mentalities’.

Even the agency concerned, the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has been cowed, supposedly by the federal…..[access full article]

Marsh Launches New Insurance Facility To Support Rapidly Developing Maritime Security Sector

Rapid market developments in the growing maritime security industry have led to increasingly divergent requirements that companies in the sector have of their insurance. To meet the needs of all market participants, Marsh, a global leader in insurance broking and risk management, today launches a new insurance facility that provides comprehensive insurance coverage for the Private Maritime Security Company (PMSC) industry.

Developed to support the requirements of the Security Association for the Maritime Industry (SAMI), Marsh’s new insurance facility meets the insurance recommendations stipulated by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and is available exclusively to SAMI members. Marsh has created the facility with additional guidance from leading PMSCs, P&I Clubs, and insurance underwriters.

Marsh’s core package provides coverage across five fundamental areas of insurance: public liability; professional indemnity; maritime employers’ liability; employers’ liability, and personal accident. Additional insurance cover such as kidnap and ransom, hull and machinery, and enhanced limits of liability are available, depending on the risk appetite of individual organizations.

Nick Roscoe, a Managing Director in Marsh’s Global Marine Practice, said: “The insurance industry has failed to keep pace with the rapid development of the maritime security sector. Many policies have been ‘borrowed’ from other industries and knitted together to provide cover with little thought of PMSCs’ specific needs in mind.

“Marsh’s new facility addresses the common insurance requirements of all PMSCs with its core product, while lending itself to the personal growth ambitions of individual organizations with its additional services. By accessing Marsh’s facility, PMSCs can secure insurance provision that reassures their clients and supports the wider development of the industry as a competitive force in global maritime security.”

Peter Cook, Director and founder of SAMI, commented: “The private maritime security industry will play an increasingly important role in ensuring safety on the seas, filling the gap left by the anticipated reduction of many national naval fleets. Therefore, the establishment and adoption of the highest professional standards across the industry is paramount.

“Marsh has consulted with SAMI in the creation of this innovative new facility, which is capable of providing effective insurance protection to our members and giving ship owners the assurances they need.”

About Marsh
Marsh, a global leader in insurance broking and risk management, teams with its clients to define, design, and deliver innovative industry-specific solutions that help them protect their future and thrive. It has approximately 25,000 colleagues who collaborate to provide advice and transactional capabilities to clients in over 100 countries. Marsh is a wholly owned subsidiary of Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE: MMC), a global team of professional services companies offering clients advice and solutions in the areas of risk, strategy and human capital. With 52,000 employees worldwide and annual revenue exceeding $10 billion, Marsh & McLennan Companies is also the parent company of Guy Carpenter, a global leader in providing risk and reinsurance intermediary services; Mercer, a global leader in human resource consulting and related services; and Oliver Wyman, a global leader in management consulting. Follow Marsh on Twitter @Marsh_Inc.

PODCAST: Sealift and the Efforts to Increase European cooperation

Corriere della Sera

Le raffiche, gli orari, la rotta. I punti oscuri della vicenda

La conferma del satellite: erano in acque internazionali. La Marina aveva ordinato di non assecondare le richieste delle autorità locali e di non far scendere a terra i militari

ROMA – La terza raffica di avvertimento «è stata sparata in acqua, a prua del peschereccio che non è stato colpito, tanto che ha invertito la rotta e si è allontanato». Così, nella relazione trasmessa due giorni fa ai carabinieri del Ros e alla Procura di Roma, Massimiliano Latorre ricostruisce i momenti cruciali del conflitto a fuoco avvenuto al largo delle coste indiane, relazione che indica gli autori della sparatoria. E nega che l’azione abbia potuto provocare feriti, tanto meno vittime. Era lui il capo del «nucleo di protezione» imbarcato sulla petroliera Enrica Lexie per contrastare gli atti di pirateria. E proprio lui – adesso accusato insieme con Salvatore Girone dell’omicidio di due pescatori che erano a bordo del St. Antony – firma il rapporto con foto allegate, che servirà al pubblico ministero Francesco Scavo Lombardo a verificare quanto accaduto. Nel fascicolo sono contenute le testimonianze degli altri cinque soldati presenti a bordo e le conclusioni del responsabile del team. Sono ancora numerosi i dubbi che avvolgono la vicenda, le incongruenze tra la versione fornita dai militari italiani e quella delle autorità di New Delhi. E ruotano attorno a tre misteri: l’orario dell’azione, il luogo esatto dove è avvenuta, l’imbarcazione che ha attaccato la petroliera. Ma c’è pure un altro interrogativo: perché, nonostante gli italiani abbiano comunicato di essere in acque internazionali, sono poi entrati nell’area controllata dagli indiani così consentendo il fermo dei due marò. E lo hanno fatto dopo il parere contrario espresso dalla Marina Militare.

Gli orari diversi

Secondo il report trasmesso a Roma l’allarme scatta alle 11.30 del 15 febbraio mentre la Enrica Lexie si trova a «33 miglia dalla costa sudovest dell’India». La posizione della nave è confermata dai dati forniti dal satellite, attivato da chi era a bordo ma viene contestato dalle autorità locali. Anche gli orari non coincidono, visto che la polizia indiana colloca gli spari almeno due ore dopo. E questo ha fatto nascere l’ipotesi che i due pescatori siano stati uccisi in un diverso conflitto, anche tenendo conto che quella stessa sera risulta avvenuto un altro attacco di pirateria in un tratto di mare poco distante.
Alla relazione Latorre allega tre fotografie che dovrebbero servire a dimostrare proprio questa divergenza: il peschereccio sarebbe infatti diverso dal St. Antony dei marittimi uccisi. Le immagini risultano però sfuocate, poco chiare e dunque non possono bastare a chiarire il dubbio. Né a confermare il fatto – sottolineato dal marò – che a bordo di quel natante non ci fossero pescatori, ma cinque uomini armati.

Le tre raffiche

Per cercare di accertare la verità si torna dunque ai momenti dell’avvicinamento. Secondo quanto riferisce il rapporto «è il radar a segnalare la barca che viaggia in rotta di collisione e i militari presenti a bordo si dispongono per reagire. Vengono messe in atto le procedure previste in questi casi. Quando il natante è a 500 metri di distanza vengono sparati i primi «warning shots», ripetuti quando si trova a 300 metri e infine a cento». Latorre specifica che gli ultimi vengono rivolti verso lo specchio d’acqua «senza colpire l’imbarcazione». Completamente diversa la ricostruzione fatta dalle autorità indiane secondo le quali «sul peschereccio ci sono i segni di 16 proiettili, mentre quattro sono andati a segno e hanno ucciso i due marittimi». Una tesi ritenuta incredibile dalle autorità diplomatiche e investigative italiane perché significherebbe che tutti i colpi a disposizione sono stati sparati ad altezza d’uomo.

L’ordine non rispettato

In queste ore la magistratura sta valutando l’ipotesi di inviare una squadra investigativa in India, che lavori in stretto contatto con la diplomazia italiana. Le indagini sono affidate al colonnello del Ros Massimiliano Macilenti che sta già acquisendo la documentazione presso i comandi militari e presso la società armatrice anche per verificare se siano stati loro a decidere di far entrare nel porto di Kochi la Enrica Lexie . La Marina aveva espresso parere contrario, così come aveva raccomandato di non far scendere a terra i militari. E invece si è deciso di assecondare le richieste indiane. La procedura prevede che le decisioni a bordo siano prese dal comandante d’accordo con la Compagnia, ma generalmente in situazioni di emergenza ci si muove in accordo con le autorità militari e con il governo italiano. Adesso bisognerà dunque verificare se davvero sia stato l’armatore a ordinare di abbandonare le acque internazionali e con chi sia stata condotta la trattativa. Un negoziato che, al momento, si è concluso nel peggiore dei modi.

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Fiorenza Sarzanini

fsarzanini@corriere.it