Pvi News

W&O Supply, a supplier of valves, actuation, pipe, fittings and engineered solutions to the global maritime industry, announced the appointment of Michael Hume as president. Hume will replace Todd Nestel, who is leaving the business after four years in the role.Hume returns to the business having originally joined W&O Supply in 1991 as branch manager in Long Beach, Calif., rising to the position of regional manager and business development manager, which ultimately led to his…

Private equity firm MiddleGround Capital has acquired PVI Holdings, Inc., the parent company of W&O Supply, Setpoint Integrated Solutions and A-T Controls.“It was a cultural fit from our first meeting. MiddleGround brings a unique style to private equity that has my team fired up about the future,” said Brad Bergeron, PVI CEO. “We value their operational expertise, passion for continuous improvement, and believe they are the perfect owner for PVI’s next phase of growth.”PVI is a flow control distributor focused on serving MRO applications across marine…

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…

Shipping companies are hiring unarmed security guards for voyages through the Middle East Gulf as an extra safeguard after a wave of attacks in the region, security companies involved said.Relations between Iran and the West are increasingly strained after Britain seized an Iranian tanker in Gibraltar this month. Britain also said last week that one of its warships had to fend off Iranian vessels seeking to block a UK-owned tanker from passing through the Strait of Hormuz.As the risk of escalation grows…

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.

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…

In October a number of trade bodies released a joint press release to formally announce a reduction of the High Risk Area (HRA). Insurance companies have said the reduction may not result in reduced insurance costs due to the assessment of insurance risk being dependent on such a wide and varying range of factors. "The Joint War Committee's (JWC) insurance notification area has always been different from the BMP/HRA and remains separate and unchanged for now. The JWC is scheduled to meet in December and will be mindful of the roundtable actions. It is impossible to say what action they will take, if any," said Neil Roberts from Lloyds Market association.

Southeast Asia is likely to see a record number of ship hijackings in 2015 as demand for illicit oil, together with a well-established black market, will continue to drive maritime attacks in the region, advises private maritime security company PVI. In the absence of a stronger law enforcement response, ship owners and operators, especially for small tankers, face increasing operational, financial and security threats, warns PVI. Singapore-flagged Joaquim became the latest victim of small tanker hijackings on August 8…

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.

W&O, supplier of marine valves, pipe, fittings, engineered products and valve automation systems, announced that Michael Hume has been appointed President and CEO of W&O. He has been serving as the company’s Chief Operating Officer since 2009. Jack Guidry, former president and CEO of W&O, has been promoted to Senior Vice President of Pon and CEO of PVI, one of Pon’s American holding companies, which owns W&O, DMC-Carter Chambers and AT Controls. He will be relocating to Houston to lead and continue to grow the PVI group…

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.