Piracy Threats as Seen Through the Eyes of the Beholder
As the threat posed by maritime piracy continues in several parts of the world, there is a growing debate among different governments, private sector analysts, non-governmental organization advocates and others about how bad the situation truly is; where and to whom it is the most challenging, what more needs to be done, and how much the private security industry actually benefits from this type of reporting. Like the famous phrase “beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” different people find the same threats to be of varying degrees of worry. Yet the bottom line is that piracy’s frequency and growing transnational criminal reach, the people it hurts…
Navigating the Future of Private Maritime Security
Maritime piracy is both ageless as a threat as well as ductile in its dramatically changing nature both in and around the Indian Ocean and, increasingly, in other parts of the world. Somali piracy erupted in the western Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden and commercial vessels transiting the area frequently fell prey to the seagoing criminals who captured numerous vessels and held them and their crews for ransom to the tune of tens of millions of dollars. Numerous maritime nations…
Maritime Piracy: Armed Security a "Game Changer"
Following closely upon Congressional testimony about international maritime piracy offered by a U.S. State Department official, who called the use privately contracted armed security teams a "game changer in the effort to combat" the international menace, AdvanFort President William H. Watson has issued the following statement: "In testimony this week before the House of Representatives, the Assistant Secretary at Bureau of Political-Military Affairs Andrew J. Shapiro said that U.S. "Mr. "The State Department's conclusion? 'The use of armed security teams has been a game changer in the effort to combat piracy,' Secretary Shapiro concluded. "AdvanFort is very proud to have served in the front ranks of those private security efforts.
“Silk Road” Requires Sophisticated Counter-Piracy
As a special to Piracy Daily, Andrew Moulder discusses the international importance of the United Arab Emirates as a vital gateway for emerging markets and the importance of sophisticated counter-piracy efforts. The role of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as the far most important regional hub for East- West ship transport offers a critical demonstration of both the scope and the need for sophistication of counter-piracy enforcement in the Gulfs of Aden and Oman. At least half of the global trading fleet of tankers passes UAE shores twice annually.
