Risk Intelligence News

Risk Intelligence provides security data, information, analysis and assessment to enable safe navigation in areas of risk in an increasingly uncertain worldSince its founding in 2001, Denmark-headquartered security information specialist Risk Intelligence has developed a fully integrated risk assessment and planning tool that provides valid, actionable intelligence to any fleet, on land, in port or at sea, 24/7/365. The company has three information and intelligence products that together assess security risks at sea…

Risk Intelligence provides security data, information, analysis and assessment to enable safe navigation in areas of risk in an increasingly uncertain world.Since its founding in 2001, Denmark-headquartered security information specialist Risk Intelligence has developed a fully integrated risk assessment and planning tool that provides valid, actionable intelligence to any fleet, on land, in port or at sea, 24/7/365. The company has three information and intelligence products that together assess security risks at sea…

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.

Pirates have attacked the Liberian-flagged 4,360 TEU CMA CGM Turquoise, kidnapping two crew members off the coast of Nigeria, with the remainder of the crew said to be safe. Turquoise, managed by Dioryx Maritime Corp. in Greece, was stormed late on Monday as it travelled between Nigeria's commercial hub Lagos and Douala in Cameroon. According to Ghana-based antipiracy agency Maritime Trade Information Sharing Centre (MTISC-GOG), the ship  was boarded in waters about 30 nm off the coast of the Niger Delta. The captain activated the SSAS and the crew retreated to the citadel, but two were captured and kidnapped before they could enter.

Russia’s embassy in Nigeria confirmed on Thursday that the Greek-owned oil tanker Leon Dias has been hijacked in the Gulf of Guinea, reports TASS. There are reports that the oil tanker hijacked by suspected militants from the Niger Delta has been freed and is now located some 7.5 nautical miles near the Cotonou Port in Benin. The merchant ship, MT LEON DIAS that was allegedly hijacked by gunmen is current off the Coast of Cotonou in the Benin Republic. Nigerian military sources disclosed that the ship which is a chemical/oil tanker is currently under the custody of the Beninois Navy. "The name of the ship is MT LEON DIAS. An oil tanker…

Pole Star, a U.K.-headquartered technology company delivering maritime application solutions, has launched its new cloud application platform, designed to facilitate the company’s vision to enable a universal maritime ecosystem. According to its developer, the new Pole Star platform is a highly configurable, extensible and easy-to-use cloud application platform, built upon a powerful, robust and open API, and using enterprise-grade cloud infrastructure. With a wide (and expanding)…

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.

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.

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 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.

“In the last five years, pirates have killed at least 411 fishermen and wounded at least 1,000 more, suggested Mujibur Rahman, Chairman of Cox’s Bazar District Fishing Trawler Owners Association (DFTOA). According to the DFTOA, pirates attacked more than 1,000 fishing boats, abducting more than 3,000 fishermen, killed over 45 and collected more than $1.28 million in ransoms from fishery owners of two coastal towns – Chakaria and Maheshkhali, alone from late 2011 to late 2012,” reported a Bangladeshi paper in April 2013.

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.

Gulf of Guinea piracy presents a radically different picture compared with Somali piracy. Since decades it has been a kaleidoscopic mix of short duration hijackings, militant disruptions, kidnappings, robberies and thefts, depending on the location and the setting. It was not until recently, however, that piracy in the region attracted significant international media attention due to the increase in hijackings of product tankers in the region. It is uncertain when this phenomenon started exactly…

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…

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.

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.

Release of 'MV Leopard' crew hostages by Somali pirates, prompts Denmark researchers 'RiskIntelligence' to give general ransom & pirate 'investment' insights. Economic terminology such as “market” is used in the below to describe the criminal activities of hijacking and ransom. During February 2011 a total of 37 ships were held along the shoreline of Somalia, compared to only two in 2008. The average time of holding at the time the ship is relased rose from only three months in 2008 to 13 months on average in 2012.

Oxberry Risk Maritime continues to expand its maritime security and anti-piracy services. Oxberry Risk Maritime believes that identification and management of risk is a vital aspect of modern maritime business. Dynamic growth in an ever expanding market requires dynamic solutions to meet and exceed expectations. Oxberry Risk Maritime is responding to the demands of maritime and shipping sector organisations through the delivery of comprehensive maritime security and anti-piracy…