Armed Security; Increasing Competition & Decreasing Demand February 10, 2012
Posted by Chris Mark in Industry News, Piracy & Maritime Security, Risk & Risk Management.Tags: Anti Piracy, armed security, Chris Mark, economics, ICoC, Maritime Security, mark consulting group, somali pirates
1 comment so far
Recently I wrote about the armed security market and the inevitable shakeout. A look at the most recently data supports this position and does not seem to fare well for the new entrants into the maritime security space. As of February 1st, 2012 there are now 307 signatories of the ICOC with 55 signing on December 1st, 2011 and another 42 signing on February 1st, 2012. While some of those signing are older, more established companies there is a large percentage of new entrants. In short, competition is becoming fierce within the maritime security industry.
In January, 2012 the IMB released statistics on pirate attacks and hijackings. From 2010-2011 pirate attacks in and around Somalia increased roughly 7.5% from 219 to 237 while at the same time hijackings decreased roughly 43% from 49 to 28. In 2010 approximately 22% of the ships attacked were taken and hijacked while in 2011 the percentage dropped to just below 12%. A combination of increased naval patrols, armed guards, and implementation of BMP is having a desired effect on hijackings.
There are several things that can be surmised from the information above. First, competition within the maritime security industry is increasing rapidly. With the wars winding down in Iraq and Afghanistan there is an increasing number of veterans entering the job market. Some of these are founding security and maritime security companies to try take advantage of the perceived demand for the services. This will have the effect of decreasing rates across the industry unless demand increases, as well. The second thing that can be surmised is that demand for maritime security is likely to decrease significantly. There are several reasons to anticipate a decrease. As current efforts are showing success companies will logically begin to evaluate the need for expensive, armed guards when other controls may prove sufficient. Additionally, it is expected that the number of ‘free riders’ will increase as companies begin to hedge their bets and forgo the use of security with the belief that other companies investment will have a residual affect on their security. Finally, insurance rates should drop for ships traversing high-risk waters making the justification for the cost of engaging armed security more difficult. As any first year economics student can attest; increasing competition and decreasing demand does not bode well for the industry. Companies will have to drop their prices to compete for a rapidly decreasing pool of potential clients. The end result is the inevitable shakeout of the industry.
Help4Sydney.org – Help a Former Marines’ Daughter February 8, 2012
Posted by Chris Mark in Uncategorized.Tags: dravet, epilepsy, help4sydney.or sydneyagainstdravet.com, sydney, sydney michaels
add a comment
Sometimes we need to deviate from the usual discussion on risk and security. Today is one of those days. As many of this blogs’ readers are former military, I thought it prudent to pass this on.
An old friend of mine from the Marines has a daughter that is very sick. She has what is known as Dravet’s Syndrom which is a very, very severe form of epilepsy that is, unfortunately, incurable. As the father of a 2 year old myself, I am heartbroken for the family. Please visit the site and watch the video about Sydney and learn a bit about Dravet’s Syndrome.
If you feel compelled, please donate to help the family with their medical bills or pass the link on through facebook or some other means. The more traffic we get the better. Thank you in advance for your help!
Why Regulation Cannot Prevent CyberCrime (TransactionWorld) February 6, 2012
Posted by Chris Mark in InfoSec & Privacy, Laws and Leglslation, Risk & Risk Management.Tags: Chris Mark, cybercrime, cybersecurity, InfoSec, Maritime Security, risk management, security, transaction world
add a comment
As the maritime industry is increasingly focused on protection of data assets, I thought it would be beneficial to include an article on the topic. This article is one I wrote for TransactionWorld in July, 2011. It is titled: “Why Regulation Cannot Prevent CyberCrime” and is a continuation on the discussion of the impact of deterrence on behavior.
“Data security and privacy regulation have increased significantly over the past 10 years. The U.S. now has 46 state breach notification laws and there have been numerous bills introduced in Congress that propose to regulate personally identifiable information and to dictate security of such data. In spite of this increasing regulation, data breaches continue to plague the industry. Some have proposed that more regulation is the answer. Unfortunately, regulation alone is inadequate to prevent data theft and protect data.
At its core, data theft and network intrusions are crimes. At the risk of oversimplifying the work of criminologists, crime prevention can be summarized as using deterrents to affect protection of assets and prevention of theft. Protection applies to the ‘hardening’ of targets by implementing controls that increase the level of difficulty of perpetrating a crime. A vault is a good example of a protective measure. While no vault is completely impenetrable, vaults do provide significant protective value. Data security controls are protective measures. They are designed solely to limit attempts to obtain the target of value. Without a deterrence effect, criminals are free to attack companies at will without fear of retribution. This article will explore the value of deterrence in the prevention of crime.” (read full article here)
Foriegn Security Team to Face Trial in Somalia February 6, 2012
Posted by Chris Mark in Industry News, Piracy & Maritime Security, Risk & Risk Management.Tags: Chris Mark, maritime piracy, Maritime Security, Ransom, security
add a comment
SomaliaReport published a story today which said that six men arrested in May, 2010 for bringing $3.6 Million into Somalia as a ransom payment for a hijacked vessel will be in Banadir Court on Thursday to face charges. The six, one American, three Britons, and two Kenyans have been held at the airport since their arrest 9 months ago. According to the story, the money was to be used for the release of two vessels, the MV Suez and MV Yuan Xiang.
Randy Abbott’s Apology & Paralysis February 3, 2012
Posted by Chris Mark in Uncategorized.Tags: 1st Recon, Apology, disability, Fake, Paralyzed, randy abbott, Recon, sniper, Stolen Valor, Surfer
add a comment
On August 23, 2014 this blog received comment on the post titled “Randy Abbott – Paralyzed Surfer who was robbed..” from Mr. Randy Abbott. In the apology he says simply:
“Mr. Mark, I personally want to apologize to you for being dishonest and lying about what I did in the military. I apologize for dishonoring you and all other Recon Scout/Snipers with my actions and dishonesty. I do not know how to reach out to all of them, I’m asking if you could please pass on my message of apology for my dishonesty and lying.”
This apology is consistent with other apologies Mr. Abbot has provided to ThisAintHell and the WoundedTimes Blog. After Mr. Abbott’s exposure, numerous people contacted me, and others, with stories related to his “charity” The View from 42 and other items. Investigation into the View from 42 shows demonstrated that it was not an existing not-for profit charity.
While Mr. Abbott has acknowledged he lied about his military service and while it has been discovered that The View from 42 is not a recognized (by either the IRS or state of California) Non Profit charity, I do not dispute that Mr. Abbott is disabled. I have received numerous communications from people very close to Mr. Abbott questioning his disability that have remained unpublished. The reasons are simple. 1) I am not a doctor and cannot speak to any form of paralysis, and 2) as the father of a special needs child, I would not propose to question someone else’ disability.
My objective with the post was simply to question Mr. Abbott’s claims of being a Marine Corps Scout/Sniper, Reconnaissance Marine and Combat Veteran. This, I felt, was a matter of public interest as Mr. Abbott had made statements and allowed numerous articles, news reports and other media to make claims of being a Scout/Sniper as well as other things. As can be seen from the post on ThisAintHell where he was exposed for lying about his service, the statement above, as well as his apology posted here, and here, Mr. Abbott admitted he lied. Given Mr. Abbott’s admitted lies about his military service it is certainly seems understandable to me if people were to question any other claim made by Mr. Abbott.
Global Security, Privacy, & Risk Management 