Improvise, Adapt, Overcome! July 15, 2011
Posted by Chris Mark in Uncategorized.Tags: Armed escort, Chris Mark, gulf of aden, InfoSec, Maritime Security, Piracy & Maritime Security
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The pirates are clearly applying all three tactics. While the problem won’t be solved on the high seas alone, right now this is where the rubber is meeting the road. That said, recent intelligence indicates that pirates are purchasing information from operatives in London and the Persian Gulf, which provides precise information where the most lucrative and vulnerable ships will be.
In asymmetric warfare, intelligence becomes a key aspect in defeating practices being used against your tactics. British police recently detected efforts to obtain information for pirates, and believe these efforts are becoming more intense.
Having transited the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean personally on clients’ vessels no less than six times, I can tell you first hand that this modus operandi has been occurring for well over a year, yet the industry is only now acknowledging this fact.
Pirates are equipping mother ships with GPS, radar and satellite phones, which enables them to direct skiffs to actual latitude/longitude positions. A recently pirated vessel that was released reported that when pirates boarded the vessel, they asked the crew “where they had been,” and that they were waiting for them for two hours.
Pirates are actively seeking information on shipping companies’ plans in general. Pirates are beginning to equip boarding parties with explosives and welding equipment to give them a chance of breaching citadels; this will keep warships away because now they have hostages.
Pirates Demand Compensation from South Korea July 15, 2011
Posted by Chris Mark in Piracy & Maritime Security.Tags: Maritime Security
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Pirates holding South Korean hostages have demanded that South Korea release pirates being held, pay a ransom for the hostages being held by the pirates and pay compensation for a commando raid that killed several pirates.
Using hostages in an attempt to get concessions from a government is yet another new trick being employed by the pirates. The first time this tactic was used was in April when pirates made similar demands of the Indian government. Pirate Hanson Abdi said:
“First, we want the South Korean government to change its foolish treatment of us and come with a better approach toward us,” he said in a statement read to the AP.
“Second, we want compensation from them because they killed our brothers and they also have to release others in their jails. After that we may reconsider holding their nationals in our hands,” The MV Gemini was hijacked in April and its crew of four South Koreans were taken captive. According to Tim Hunt,
“It takes out the economic element and introduces a political one,” he said. “They’re working outside the model they’ve built up of cash for hostages, and they’re not holding up their side of the bargain.”
Pirates Sieze Vessel Carrying Livestock July 15, 2011
Posted by Chris Mark in Uncategorized.Tags: Chris Mark, InfoSec, Maritime Security, Piracy & Maritime Security
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The end of the claims that no ships have been hijacked since April has officially ended. On July 15th, Pirates hijacked a vessel carrying livestock bound for the UAE. The vessel was sailing from Bosasso to UAE and was hijacked just outside of Puntland. Considering it is still monsoon season, this suggests that the impending pirate season will be another record breaker.
2011 Pirate Attacks at Record Pace July 14, 2011
Posted by Chris Mark in Piracy & Maritime Security, Risk & Risk Management.Tags: Chris Mark, gulf of aden, InfoSec, Maritime Security, Piracy & Maritime Security
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If the first six months of 2011 are any indication, the year is going to break records for the number of pirate attacks. In the first six months of the year attacks are up 36% from 2010. According to IMB, from January through June of 2011 there were 266 attacks compared with 196 a year earlier. While the number of attacks increased, the number of ships hijacked fell from 27 to 21 due to increased security measures. Pirates only hijacked 1 in 8 vessels this year compared with 1 in 4 last year. Unfortunately, there is a downside to the increased security.
According to IMB the pirates are taking more risks and becoming more violent in their attacks. This year pirates fired upon ships during monsoon season for the first time.
Monsoon weather in the Indian Ocean region that began in early June displaced pirates to the Gulf of Aden and the southern Red Sea, the IMB said. It called the 18 attacks reported in the Red Sea area since May 20 “a cause for concern.” Three attacks in the Indian Ocean in adverse weather showed threats remained during monsoons for the first time, the IMB said, citing winds of 34 miles an hour and swells of 4.5 meters (15 feet).
“It may be that these recent Indian Ocean incidents are a sign of desperation on behalf of pirates, or that there are many more pirate action groups operating now than there were in 2010, particularly outside the Gulf of Aden,” the IMB said.
In short, while increased security measures may be hampering the success of pirates, this trend is not expected to last. The potential ‘return on investment’ of a hijacking is simply too great for pirates to ignore. The result with be an inevitable cycle of increased security followed by increased risk taking by the pirates. This pattern can be seen developing now. It is important for shipping companies to evaluate arming their ships with professional security personnel to prevent hijackings.
False Sense of Security! July 13, 2011
Posted by Chris Mark in Uncategorized.Tags: gulf of aden, InfoSec, Maritime Security, Piracy & Maritime Security
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I recently read a request that came across my desk from a shipping company that demanded we only provide a two man security team for a vessel transiting the Gulf of Aden. The ship was over 180 meters in length, had a crew of over 20 and was a “low and slow.” After pondering over this request for a minute I thought of the message this dangerous type of situation sends. Frankly, the industry is exposing itself to far greater risk by cutting down on the requisite number of men that can effectively defend a “sustained attack.” By most accounts anyone reading the live piracy report posted on the IMB’s website has seen attacks lasting as long as an hour, with pirates chasing vessels in multiple skiffs. A four man team provides barely enough coverage, and I’d caution companies who are engaged by security specialists that purport two or three men, with a couple of ineffective weapons such as a shotgun and an old bolt action rifle will be enough of a deterrent to thwart an attack. We have actually seen pictures of three man teams with one vintage rifle from the 1800’s and 11 bullets total tasked to defend a ship.
Think of it this way, if a potential client approached you as a ship owner with a request for just the captain and chief engineer to operate a vessel you owned, would you expose yourself to that type of risk for the sake of making money?
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