Protection Vessels International News

DG Risk Group announced Monday it has acquired armed maritime security company Protection Vessels International, along with its trading division Halcyon Yacht Security. The acquisition was completed in 2020.UK-based Protection Vessels International (PVI) specializes in armed maritime security solutions for commercial and governmental agencies. Most recently PVI, in unison with DG Risk Group, supported and partnered with several navies in the Gulf of Guinea in support of two major…

Is neo-colonialism in the Gulf of Guinea the answer to West Africa’s maritime crime crisis?In October 2020, China’s transport ministry established an ad hoc workgroup to lay down precautionary measures for ships and seafarers passing through high piracy risk West African waters.The move came as China told its vessels to up vigilance and implement a series of precautionary measures to ensure the security of ocea-going vessels and seafarers amid rising attacks and a surge in kidnaps in the Gulf of Guinea.Plans outlined by Wu Chungeng…

The Philippines-based Islamist group ASG has conducted tens of attacks against vessels in the Sulu and Celebes seas since March 2016, although since October it has increasingly targeted larger commercial vessels, heightening the risk to global shipping in the region, says a report from Protection Vessels International Ltd. Previously, the group had only been able to abduct seafarers from slower-moving tugs and fishing boats and has kidnapped tens of Indonesian and Malaysian sailors since they first started targeting vessels in March. ASG has not officially claimed the attacks, but the location and violent nature of the kidnappings strongly indicates the group, which is notorious for conducting kidnap for ransom attacks in the region, is responsible.

Militant group Abu Sayyaf (ASG) has conducted frequent kidnap for ransom attacks in the Sulu and Celebes Seas since March 2016, says a report by Protection Vessels International Ltd. Islamic State-affiliated ASG has successfully extracted millions of dollars' worth of ransom payments for individual releases and has decapitated several hostages when ransom demands have not been met. In November, ASG shifted towards targeting commercial vessels and successfully abducted six crew members from a bulk carrier. Armed robberies have grown increasingly violent in Indonesian waters in 2016 with robbers assaulting crew members who attempt to stop them.

According to PGI’s Risk Portal, there were at least 81 incidents of piracy or attempted piracy in or around the Singapore and Malacca Straits between April 2015 and April 2016. The majority of these incidents have occurred on the western approach to the narrow waterway, indicative of the heightened risk of piracy in surrounding waters. The actual number of incidents is likely higher, given that many are thought to go unreported. The high-level of piracy in surrounding waters presents security considerations for travel to and from Singapore’s port. Protection Vessels International Comment: Levels of piracy in the Singapore Strait region have continued to increase since 2015 with a spike of attacks on vessels while underway.

Jakarta will boost security of small vessels after hijackings 15 July, says a report in Protection Vessels International Ltd (PVI). Indonesia is currently discussing with the International Maritime Organisation the rules for deployment of naval and coast guard vessels to escort small vessels delivering traded goods between Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, after a series of hijackings in the Sulu and Celebes seas by Abu Sayyaf group (ASG) pirates. Jakarta will also coordinate with ship-owners and coal mining associations to urge vessels to take safe routes away from areas known to have a large pirate presence. ASG has kidnapped tens of Indonesian and Malaysian seamen from small vessels since March in a bid to raise funds through ransom, says PVI Analysis.

An increase in internet access at sea will lead to an increased risk of suffering a cyber-attack, says a research report by Protection Vessels International. However, if addressed correctly, this risk can be lowered to sit comfortably within the acceptable risk tolerance levels of an organisation. Britain is a maritime nation. We depend on the sea to trade with others. Over 90% of the world’s trade goes by sea – this figure is 95% for the United Kingdom. - GBP 13.8 Billion contribution to UK GDP (0.9% overall). - GBP 2.7 Billion in taxation revenue. - 262,700 jobs (0.8% of total UK employment). The maritime sector is a very competitive one. If there is a perceived lack of preparedness against all threat vectors, then a customer may very well choose to use a competitor.

The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) has warned foreign vessels to remain vigilant when sailing in the Horn of Africa, despite a lull in piracy incidents in the region. The IMB stated that there had been no piracy incidents reported off the Somali coast between January and March 2016 due to the deployment of warships to prevent such attacks. However, it warned Somali pirates still had the capacity to carry out attacks in the region and that one successful hijacking could see a resurgence of piracy in the Horn of Africa. According to the IMB, Somali pirates were still holding some 29 crewmembers for ransom as of 31 March. Protection…

Somali pirate attacks down by 95 pct since 2011 -Maritime bureau. Cash-strapped maritime security firms are being forced to use fewer costly elite guards and to diversify into other businesses such as cyber security, as a steep decline in Somali pirate attacks and hotter competition erode fast-thinning margins. Hundreds of security firms sprang up over the past seven years to offer protection to shipping companies, with scores of merchant vessels being boarded and sailors taken hostage in pirate raids off the coast of conflict-torn Somalia. However, attacks in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean have dropped from a peak of 237 in 2011 to just 10 in the first nine months of this year, the lowest since the piracy scourge began in 2008, according to the International Maritime Bureau.

Private maritime security services provider, Protection Vessels International (PVI), part of Protection Group International, informs that it has achieved ISO/PAS 28007 certification from Lloyd’s Register Quality Assurance (LRQA). PVI was one of the first private maritime security companies (PMSCs) to participate in the ISO/PAS 28007 pilot scheme which aims to set the benchmark for PMSCs who want to demonstrate to the international community that they, and the operatives they supply, are of the right quality to legally, safely and effectively guard commercial shipping on the high seas.

Private maritime security service company Protection Vessels International (PVI), part of Protection Group International, announced that it has achieved accreditation to deploy armed guards on German flagged vessels. Applicable from December 1, 2013, the updated German regulations are more stringent than any other existing standard and go beyond ISO 28000/28007 certification, which is currently being piloted. The German regulations ensure private maritime security companies' (PMSCs') operating procedures are comprehensive, well documented and executed safely.

International shipping registries have continued to sharpen their aim taken at a longstanding maritime problem: What is the appropriate response to piracy? As attacks have shifted from Somalia to West Africa, the issue remains at top of mind. Armed guards have proven to be a successful deterrent against attacks. Ship finance and registry lawyer Brad Berman, a Partner at Holland & Knight (H&K), sums up a sea change in views over the past year in views about guns aboard ships, telling Maritime Reporter: “A few years ago most of the shipping industry was against having weapons aboard…

Protection Vessels International Limited (PVI) and Lloyd's Register Quality Assurance (LRQA) announced an agreement for PVI to take part in the ISO 28000/28007 pilot scheme. The pilot scheme is due to commence in the next few weeks and will include an initial assessment of the PVI ISO28000 and ISO28007 PAS management systems. In initial discussions between PVI and LRQA regarding the ISO/PAS 28007 pilot scheme, the companies agreed the importance of promoting the correct route to certification; that being through the ISO28000 Security Management Systems for the Supply Chain base standard taken together with requirements of ISO PAS 28007 which should be conducted by a certification body accredited by UKAS.

On the 5th April, A PVI security team prevented an attack on the ‘Pacific Opal’. During the exchange PVI recorded video evidence of the incident and 24 hours after the Pirate Action Group (PAG) left the area, a PAG matching the same description was intercepted and arrested of suspected piracy by the Finnish warship Pohjanmaa, part of the EUNAVFOR. On the 7th April, the Pacific Opal received a direct request for assistance from MSCHOA ‘to establish whether there is sufficient evidence to link the pirates captured by the Finnish warship Pohjanmaa on 6th April to the attack to the Pacific Opal on the 5 April 2011.’ PVI plans to submit statements, hand over the video evidence and, given appropriate anonymity, be prepared to appear in court to testify in any subsequent court case.

Reducing the number of ships that are hijacked by Somali pirates is a realistic prospect in the near‐term if shipowners and operators are willing to adopt a security posture onboard their ships that is directly and robustly proportional to the threat, an industry forum heard on March 24. attending an event hosted jointly by Gray Page and Protection Vessels International. They heard that merchant shipping faced a more widespread threat from Somali pirates than at any time over the past three years*, with a fall in incidents in the Gulf of Aden notably offset by an increase in attacks and hijackings in the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea, where pirates roam on “mother ships” largely unchallenged by naval forces.