Maritime Security Experts Weigh in on West Africa
Maritime operations in West Africa are affected by threats from piracy and other maritime crime. It is very complex to get an overview of the different types of maritime security provisions that are legal in the countries throughout the region. Risk Intelligence now provides this insight with a new service, including reports with an overview of the use of private and government security in 18 countries in the region. Risk Intelligence CEO, Hans Tino Hansen, said, “We have provided security analysis for West Africa for more than 10 years. It has always been a complex area with many different types of threats and many different types of security risk mitigation and legal frameworks.
Risk Intelligence Launches PortRisk
Denmark-based security risk intelligence company Risk Intelligence has launched PortRisk, a service that aims to deliver comprehensive and reliable intelligence on risk in ports. PortRisk provides on-demand security information and threat, vulnerability and risk assessment covering countries, ports and cities. Together with the company’s existing maritime security intelligence tool, MaRisk, the services deliver intelligence for maritime planning, decision-making and operations.
Port Operations Can Be Risky Business
The horrific explosions in the Chinese port of Tainjin illustrated vividly just how volatile port operations can be. But safety issues are only one facet of risk in the complex world of shipping ports. From piracy on the high seas to data thievery in port, players all along the shipping value chain need to be on constant alert for the dangers that nature and human actions can present. Political unrest, theft, smuggling and corruption all figure in to the risk picture that ship owners, brokers, and cargo owners have to consider when planning and executing port calls.
Danish Conference to Address Maritime Security
Piracy and armed robbery against ships, corruption and illegal trafficking are well-known maritime security challenges. Now it is time to find solutions. On Tuesday, October 6, an international conference organized for the second year in a row by the Danish Shipowners’ Association, Oceans Beyond Piracy (OBP) and Risk Intelligence, in cooperation with Clipper, will focus on the biggest and most pressing maritime security challenges facing the maritime industry and governments, aiming to find new solutions to address these threats. At the conference, which is a part of Danish Maritime Days, international maritime experts from both the…
Piracy Expected to Increase Ahead of Nigeria's Election
Piracy will increase in the Gulf of Guinea as Nigeria prepares for an election next February in order to funnel ransom money into campaign financing, intelligence experts told a shipping conference in Copenhagen on Tuesday. Risk Intelligence, which advises private shipping companies and governments on security, said two "mother ships" belonging to pirates are currently located just south of Nigeria and five seafarers are know to be held hostage onshore. "Ahead of general elections, kidnap-for-ransom and attacks on offshore targets increase," Managing Director Hans Tino Hansen told Reuters at a special session on maritime crime and the effects on growth and development in Africa.
Hijacking for Product Theft is Business as Usual in Southeast Asia
Well-established local criminal syndicate diversifying its targets rather than undertaking new operations says Denmark-based security advisory and intelligence company Risk Intelligence. The recent hijacking cases of coastal product tankers in Southeast Asia for the theft of their cargos represent a diversification of the threat rather than a new trend. “It’s a case of new diesel in old tankers,” said the CEO of Risk Intelligence, Hans Tino Hansen. Hijacking for product theft can be documented as far back as 1990s in Southeast Asia. The most active syndicate has usually favored boarding the preselected targets in the same general location and always during the region’s dry season between March and October.
Risk Intelligence & Pole Star Form Strategic Partnership
Risk Intelligence, a security and piracy intelligence specialist, have announced their strategic partnership with Pole Star Space Applications, a leading provider of realtime asset tracking and monitoring solutions. The companies are working to integrate several solutions, allowing mutual customers to combine the benefits of realtime fleet information with the latest intelligence on piracy and security incidents around the world. The first product will be launched Q1 2014. “There…
Gulf of Guinea Tanker Hijacking Report
According to Risk Intelligence, pirate networks in the Gulf of Guinea are focusing on product theft from tankers and this type of crime has evolved into a unique and highly lucrative form of maritime crime in the region. In the first eight months of 2013, some 19 attacks took place against vessels operating in the region. There were 25 such attacks in 2012. This form of piracy has become very costly. An estimated 117,000mt of product worth approximately $ 100 million has been stolen since 2010. The human cost of the pirate attacks is also significant.
Risk Intelligence Forms Advisory Board
The maritime security intelligence company Risk Intelligence is joined by six maritime industry leaders who will serve as the company’s board of advisors. The board is led by the former fleet commander of the Royal Navy, Admiral Sir James Burnell-Nugent. The board held its first meeting in London on 11 June 2013. “The six members bring a staggering amount of experience into the board, from navies, shipping companies, offshore, oil and gas, and classification societies,” said Hans Tino Hansen, CEO of Risk Intelligence. Risk Intelligence said it set up the advisory board to strengthen the strategic outlook and develop the company.
