Maritime Security Center News

A Briton and a Romanian were killed when an Israeli-managed petroleum product tanker came under attack on Thursday off the coast of Oman, the company said on Friday, in an incident that Israel's foreign minister blamed on Iran and said deserved a harsh response.There were varying explanations for what happened to the Mercer Street, a Liberian-flagged, Japanese-owned ship, with Israeli-owned Zodiac Maritime describing the incident as "suspected piracy" and a source at the Oman…

ABS Advanced Solutions has announced a partnership with SecurityGate to provide enhanced cyber risk analysis to the maritime market.The effort integrates the ABS proprietary FCI Cyber Risk Methodology into the award-winning SecurityGate SaaS platform, further solidifying the ABS maritime cyber security leadership. The resulting dashboard provides an instant shared view, illustrating the degree of cyber risk across assets, operations and critical suppliers. “ABS is the global leader in marine and offshore cyber security. This partnership with SecurityGate takes us to the next level,” said Christopher J. Wiernicki, ABS Chairman, President and CEO.

The Round Table of international shipping associations plus the OCIMF representing the global shipping and oil industry have announced the geographic boundaries of the ‘High Risk Area’ for piracy in the Indian Ocean have been reduced, with new advice issued to merchant ship operators.The High Risk Area reflects the area where the threat from piracy exists, whilst recognizing the ongoing containment of pirate attacks in the Indian Ocean. The industry group of shipping and oil industry organisations BIMCO…

Global provider of classification and technical advisory services to the marine and offshore industries ABS Advanced Solutions and Hong Kong-headquartered Fleet Management Limited signed an agreement to implement the ABS industry-leading cyber security solution for Fleet Management’s 220-vessel liquid cargo fleet.“Fleet Management Limited is one of the world’s leading ship management firms, and their decision to select the ABS FCI Cyber Risk model underlines its position as an industry leader,” said Russell Medeiros, Vice President, ABS Advanced Solutions.“Working together, we will provide a comprehensive cyber security solution to assist in ensuring compliance with the International Maritime Organization (IMO)…

New approach applies data-driven decisions to produce actionable insight into cyber risksABS announced it has developed a new methodology to measure cyber security risk associated with operational technology, providing marine and offshore clients a calculated risk index for vessels, fleets and facilities. The index quantifies cyber security risk and gives owners and operators an actionable strategy to reduce cyber risk on board a vessel.Until now, cyber risk assessment methods were largely qualitative, characterizing risk based on threats, vulnerabilities and consequences.

Pirates off the coast of Somalia, who hijacked an oil tanker with eight Sri Lankan crew on board, are demanding a ransom for the release of the vessel, the EU Naval Force said. The pirates seized the Comoros-flagged Aris 13 tanker on Monday, the first such hijacking in the region since 2012, and took it to the port of Alula in the semi-autonomous northern region of Puntland. "The EU Naval Force ... has received positive confirmation from the master of ... Aris 13, that his ship and crew are currently being held captive by a number of suspected armed pirates in an anchorage off the north coast of Puntland, close to Alula," the force said in a statement late on Tuesday.

ABS, a provider of classification and technical services to the global marine and offshore industries, said it has been awarded a research contract by the Maritime Security Center (MSC) – a U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Center of Excellence, led by Stevens Institute of Technology – for a two-year research program focused on defining the future of cybersecurity for the maritime industry. Study participants, which include DHS and the Department of Defense, will focus on key areas that will help define future research and guidance.

The DHS Maritime Security Center (MSC), led by the Stevens Institute of Technology, announces a competitive research opportunity to address challenges in maritime cyber security. This effort invites qualified researchers to propose projects that will provide DHS stakeholders with innovative research that addresses current challenges in maritime cyber security as outlined in the RFP. MSC plans to fund one award of up to two years and up to $350,000. Any questions should be directed to [email protected] no later than April 19, 2016. development of the current and future maritime security workforce. More information on MSC may be found on www.stevens.edu/msc. In November 2015, MSC co-hosted the Maritime Risk Symposium in conjunction with the U.S. Coast Guard Research and Development Center.

EU Naval Force confirmed that on Friday, October 11, 2013, a fully laden super tanker, known as a Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC), was fired upon by eight armed men in two ‘skiffs’ 230 miles off the Somali coast. The attack was repelled by the Armed Security Team on board the super tanker and the vessel is now safe, EU Naval Force reported. The Maritime Security Center (Horn of Africa), based at the EU Naval Force Operations Center, Northwood, U.K., has issued an alert about the whereabouts and nature of the attack, to warn other ships transiting the area to be vigilant. eunavfor.eu

The threat to maritime trade from Somali pirates continues, and ship operators should stay vigilant and adhere to best management practices, according to private maritime security company Sea Marshals Ltd, which counsels against complacency at this time. Latest security industry intelligence points to a likely upsurge in pirate attacks, particularly given recent releases of hijacked vessels and a reduction in attack success rates. Thomas Jakobsson, Chief of Operations for U.K.

The Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) are warning mariners of an anticipated increase in piracy incidents when the southwest monsoon ends in the coming weeks, and are reiterating that merchant mariners must continue to take proactive action to help prevent piracy attacks. High sea states over the past few weeks in the Somali Basin have resulted in fewer attacks on vessels transiting the area but mariners must continue to remain vigilant. “The prior preparation and vigilance of merchant mariners at all times of day and night is more important now than ever,” said Turkish Rear Adm. Caner Bener, Commander, Combined Task Force (CTF) 151. “CTF 151 and other multi-national maritime forces deployed to the region are successfully coordinating counter-piracy efforts.

MSC Cruises confirms that the Melody cruise ship was attacked by pirates near the Seychelles Islands on Saturday evening, April 25, 2009. The ship initiated avoidance procedures and quickly escaped the attack with no injuries to any of the approximately 1,000 passengers and 500 crew members onboard. The pirates approached the ship in a small speedboat firing automatic weapons at 7:35 pm GMT while the ship was sailing 180 nautical miles from Port Victoria in the Seychelles. MSC Cruises immediately informed the Italian government foreign office (La Farnesina), the Maritime Security Center in London and the Coordination Center for Security in Dubai.

According to the AP, Singapore is building a joint command center that will house three maritime groups under one roof to increase coordination against threats at sea, the Defense Ministry announced Wednesday. A groundbreaking ceremony was held Tuesday for the Changi Command and Control Center, which is expected to be operational in 2009 to coordinate local, regional and international security efforts to deal with threats such as piracy and terrorist attacks on ships. The center, to be located beside the Changi naval base, will house the Singapore Maritime Security Center, the Information Fusion Center and the Multinational Operations and Exercises Center. Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia have in recent years coordinated maritime and air patrols in the Malacca Strait.