Security firm DG Risk Group has acquired maritime security company Protection Vessels International (PVI) in a bid to help protect the shipping lanes in the increasingly dangerous Gulf of Guinea waters.
[s2If is_user_logged_in()]A severe increase in the number of attacks and the severity, including the death of one crew member and the abduction of 15 others from the Mozart in mid-January, with the pirates thought to have used explosives to gain entry to the citadel. PVI can offer armed support as well as training and the use of intelligence to combat regional piracy.
PVI West Africa specialist Craig De Savoye told Container News, “Container lines are faced with a more complex set of challenges than other vessels in the region, particularly tramp vessels. The container lines are highly recognisable and enter multiple jurisdictions during their voyage. The use of a security escort vessel (SEV) for an entire voyage is not feasible as the SEV would need to change per jurisdiction.”
However, De Savoye offers some recommendations for container ships operating in the region:
- Vessel hardening and advisory services regarding best management practice, to ensure that the vessel is protected and that the crew are aware and well trained not only in the event of an incident but also to protect against potential incidents.
- Provision of a current threat and risk assessment for the planned route, including updates as to any incidents on the voyage path during sailing, and advising on route planning options.
- Provision of SEVs where applicable, utilising SEVs in a cost-efficient manner that will not delay the sailing of the client vessel.
- Provision of a portable citadel that can house crew comfortably while being connected digitally to the outside world and impenetrable. These citadels can be loaded on to the Container Ship before entering the Gulf of Guinea and offloaded once she leaves the region. The citadel can wait at the trans-shipment hub for the next vessel to enter the region.
DG Risk and PVI said it will work proactively with each of the jurisdictions around the Gulf of Guinea to build local protective capacity, which is currently being done through collaboration with private companies.
“Over time, the expected result is that the capacity of each jurisdiction will grow to a point whereby private operators are no longer needed. However, right now many jurisdictions need the capabilities, hardware and knowledge that private companies can provide,” explained De Savoye.
DG Risk Group is supporting both the vessel operators and each of the regional jurisdictions to ensure that vessels are kept safe until a longer-term solution can be found.
PVI plans to use data from maritime intelligence providers, including Dryad Global, to identify patterns and lanes that pirates appear to be targeting.
“It is a massive area and as the pirates become more sophisticated, so must the security measures that are put in place to combat piracy. We can look to some of the more feasible measures enacted in the Indian Ocean as to how things may shape up in the Gulf of Guinea, namely the use of intelligence and data to support the industry whilst at the same time providing patrol and fast response vessels” added De Savoye.
Nick Savvides
Managing Editor
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