Random Thoughts On Piracy Summit (I have to talk about guns a little ;) May 1, 2012
Posted by Chris Mark in Industry News, Piracy & Maritime Security, Risk & Risk Management.Tags: Anti Piracy, armed security, Chris Mark, combating piracy week, Maritime Security, markconsultinggroup.com, Scout Sniper, security, weapons
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In reflecting upon the Piracy Europe even in Hamburg that I attended last week, I was struck by a few things that were said and proposed. The speakers were generally very good although the material is getting a bit old at this point. With piracy at near 2007 levels, security vendors are scrambling to convince shipping companies that they are still needed. Selling on Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt (FUD) seems to be the new way of business development.
With regard to the security vendors, there appeared to be two distinct perspectives on how to stop pirates. Neither seemed appropriate. One company had a rep get up and show a picture of himself with a Barrett .50 cal SASR (special application scoped rifle) (shown in the pic above with the very skilled, handsome and smart USMC Sniper..yeah its me). The intimation was that if you have larger guns, you have more ‘firepower’ and thus better security. This is a very simplistic way of thinking about security and demonstrates one of the challenges of maritime security. Security is not about technology…it is about people, strategies, and tactics. Tools (such as weapons) are useful but only if employed correctly. You can read the whitepaper “weapons and tactics in the prevention of piracy” here. This “goons with guns” approach was not well received and quite frankly, I felt it perpetuated what the attendees think of American security…knuckle-dragging, goons with guns. Blackwater is alive and well in the minds of most of those who attended the event. (more…)
Nexus Security Calls for Investigation into Maritime Pirate Shooting April 20, 2012
Posted by Chris Mark in Piracy & Maritime Security, Uncategorized, weapons and tactics.Tags: Anti Piracy, armed security, Nexus, SAMI, Somalia
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In a recent press release, Nexus Consulting Group’s Founder and President calls for the recently released video of armed security firing on pirates to be investigated. You can view the video here. It appears to be an American company firing on a Somali boat. As stated by Mr. Doherty: “As president of Nexus Consulting, a leading provider of armed security teams in the defense of mariners against Somali pirates, I would like to personally note that though we are operating quite regularly conducting anti-piracy missions, the team in this video is not a Nexus team,” Nexus also provides some valuable vetting questions for those considering maritime security. (more…)
Egypt States Position on Armed Guards and Weapons February 22, 2012
Posted by Chris Mark in Industry News, Piracy & Maritime Security, weapons and tactics.Tags: armed security, Chris Mark, Egypt, Maritime Security, mark consulting group, markconsultinggroup.com, Piracy & Maritime Security, UK P&I
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UK P&I Club released a bulletin that outlines Egypt’s position on armed guards and weapons within Egypt and its waters. Below are the salient points of the letter received from the Egyptian Government:
“1) The Egyptian Government forbids the presence of any Weapons / Armed Guards on
board of commercial vessels as per the rules and regulations of the International Maritime Organization. (more…)
Security 101: “You don’t have to out run a bear…just your friends” February 22, 2012
Posted by Chris Mark in InfoSec & Privacy, Piracy & Maritime Security, Risk & Risk Management, weapons and tactics.Tags: armed security, arms race, Chris Mark, cybersecurity, InfoSec, Piracy & Maritime Security, risk, risk management, security
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Yesterday MSNBC had a story that discussed the “arms race” between Somali pirates and shipping companies. The article discussed the increasing violence of the pirates. While this should come as no surprise to anyone, it is a single statement that caught my attention. “Greater use of private armed security guards on ships and a much tougher approach by international navies is beginning to work, some… say. (more…)
“Lipstick on a Pig”- Vetting Armed Security Part 3 February 21, 2012
Posted by Chris Mark in Piracy & Maritime Security, Risk & Risk Management.Tags: Anti Piracy, armed security, Chris Mark, Maritime Security, Piracy & Maritime Security, risk management, security, vetting security
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The recent event where Italian military personnel killed “suspected pirates” off the coast of India should provide an exclamation point to shipping companies on the need to carefully evaluate the armed security protecting their vessels. While military personnel were involved in this particular incident, it is simply a matter of time before private military contractors make the same mistake. This post is part 3 of a series of posts on vetting companies. You can read the previous posts here and here.
One of the tactics being employed by many companies within the maritime security arena, and especially those with little experience, is to promote the fact that they are “ICOC signatories” as evidence of their professionalism and expertise. While there is little debate that the ICOC is a step in the right direction toward gaining some form of control over a growing industry, the ICOC is NOT and should NOT be viewed as anything more than what it is. Using the ICOC as any basis of evaluation of a security company is both dangerous and short sighted. All companies should be signatories of the ICOC. That being said, the ICOC is not intended to be a governance document or standard. The purpose of the International Code of Conduct for Private Security Companies (ICOC PSC) is to: (more…)
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