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Security Association For The Maritime Industry News

02 Jul 2015

PMSC Approved to Supply Armed Guards on French Ships

Photo: Aspida

Aspida is the first PMSC to be permanently approved by CNAPS to provide armed guards onboard French flagged vessels. Maritime security firm Aspida informs that as of June 12, 2015 it has become the first private maritime security company (PMSC) to be permanently certified and licensed to supply armed guard protection to French flagged vessels. Aspida is also the first non-French PMSC to get a nontemporary accreditation by CNAPS. Aspida’s operations are carried out by more than 200 qualified and regularly vetted security personnel.

03 Dec 2014

Maritime Guns For Hire Adapt to Changes in Sea Piracy

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.

24 Sep 2014

SAMI On Top Line Security Concerns

With progress being made against piracy off Somalia, it seems that other maritime security issues are becoming top line issues for shipowners. The Security Association for the Maritime Industry (SAMI), is a global focal point for maritime security matters, and is well placed to highlight the current maritime security concerns, those which are over the horizon and the initiatives which are being rolled out to counter the threats and mitigate the risks. While there has been a degree of containment of Indian Ocean piracy…

29 Jul 2014

The Martitime Security Focus Is Shifting

Hans-Joachim Stricker

Former Vice-Admiral and Commander-in-chief of the German Navy Hans-Joachim Stricker, President of the German Maritime Institute (DMI), believes that in terms of security the industry is headed in the right direction. But challenges remain. Safety First: Shipping is no exception. Keeping people and property out of harm's way not only means complying with onboard technical safety regulations, training ship crews and providing rescue equipment. It also means addressing external threats from terrorism and piracy, which continue to be a major challenge for shipping.

03 Jul 2014

Private Maritime Security: SAMI Secretariat Update

"Initially the doors within the shipping industry had been closed to private maritime security companies, and there was a definite “them and us” divide. SAMI has joined the United Nations Contact Group on piracy, and this has allowed the maritime security industry a voice at the highest levels, and a conduit for information to be channelled. For a long time there was antipathy towards PMSCs – but now, it is able to communicate as respected, integrated and involved parts of the wider shipping community. Maritime security has come a long way in a short time, and it is a testament to the quality providers who have worked hard to provide excellence to their clients…

28 May 2014

Working with Maritime Security Guards: New Course

Videotel, in association with Steamship Mutual, has launched a new training programme  developed in conjunction with the Security Association for the Maritime Industry (SAMI) and BIMCO, informs UK trade association Maritime London. Videotel points out that it is easy to forget that the use of Private Maritime Security Companies (PMSCs) has only become commonplace in the last few years and that the selection and deployment of armed guards is still an unknown quantity for many operators and crew. The company notes that, as part of their anti-piracy measures, many shipping companies now employ armed security guards aboard vessels that transit…

22 May 2014

Videotel Adds ‘Working with Maritime Security Guards'

It is easy to forget that the use of Private Maritime Security Companies (PMSCs) has only become commonplace in the last few years and that the selection and deployment of armed guards is still an unknown quantity for many operators and crew. In response to this, Videotel has made a new addition to its armoury of training materials with the creation of a brand new program – Working with Maritime Security Guards – which has been developed in conjunction with the Security Association for the Maritime Industry (SAMI) and BIMCO.

10 Apr 2014

Maritime Security handbook: Stowaways by Sea

Improvements in security have not reduced the number of stowaways or the number of incidents and it is seafarers who have to cope with the extra work, delay, uncertainty and possible violence. This is why The Nautical Institute has today (Wednesday, April 9, 2014) launched Maritime Security handbook: stowaways by sea, aimed at helping people who have to deal with stowaways by giving advice on the preparation and training that is needed both onboard and ashore. The handbook gives practical guidance on making a vessel secure against stowaways, managing any that have succeeded in getting onboard, collecting the necessary evidence and organising the repatriation process.

12 Sep 2013

NI Launch New Maritime Security Handbook

Image courtesy of NI

The Nautical Institute has launched Maritime Security handbook: coping with piracy, which focuses on the people who have to cope with piracy – seafarers, shore-based staff and those working in the maritime security industry. The book gives practical guidance on preparation and training before entering a high risk area, self-protection measures while within it and survival strategies if taken hostage. This includes the effective implementation of the industry’s Best Management Practices (BMP)…

22 Jul 2013

Shipping Registries and Piracy Response

Brad Berman, ship finance and registry lawyer,  Partner at Holland & Knight (H&K)

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…

23 May 2013

Ambrey Risk Launches New Training Website

Maritime security specialist, Ambrey Risk, based in Herefordshire, U.K., launched a new training and recruitment website: www.ambreytraining.com, outlining their training programs and recruitment opportunities for security professionals, in addition to those wishing to enter the business. With training now a key wing of Ambrey’s business, the company said this launch reflects the company’s determination to ensure that their trainees will be able to say with confidence that being "Ambrey trained," is synonymous with being trained to the highest standards of maritime and land-based security excellence. The new site lists all Ambrey courses in a clear and easy to follow format, providing the visitor with the ability to see costs and book online.

24 Apr 2013

Former Congress Lawyer to Serve as AdvanFort Legal Counsel

AdvanFort Company said attorney Sheila R. Schreiber has come onboard as its in-house legal counsel. Schreiber brings experience in the private and public sectors. She is a former litigation partner with Howrey LLP, served as counsel to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary and has extensive experience in the national and international sales of industrial products. Her specialties include commercial, regulatory, employment, intellectual property, corporate and antitrust matters. Schreiber is a cum laude graduate of the University of Pittsburgh law school where she was a member of the Law Review. Her bar and court memberships include the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, the U.S. Supreme Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

17 Apr 2013

Partnership to Provide Simulation-Based Training

Tundra International announced it has entered an exclusive partnership with Mr. David Hammond, Barrister of 9 Bedford Row International Chambers to identify and develop new technology based training methods to test personnel on their knowledge and application of the Rules for the Use of Force and the '100 Series Rules' as it applies to the maritime security environment. The 100 Series Rules, created by David Hammond, a U.K. Counsel and barrister-at-law who heads up the maritime practice at the International division of 9 Bedford Row Chambers, are intended to be a model set and example of best practice for maritime Rules for the Use of Force…

16 Apr 2013

Counter-Piracy Firm AdvanFort Now SAMI Accredited

AdvanFort receives key “green light” accreditation in the Stage 1 process from Security Association for the Maritime Industry (SAMI). The company says it has achieved key certification status in the Standard Private Maritime Security Company (PMSC) accreditation program of the Security Association for the Maritime Industry (SAMI) pointing out that it is part of AdvanFort's on-going rigorous program of matching and exceeding emerging international benchmarks for quality and standards in maritime security. "We have just been told by Peter Cook, SAMI’s founder and director, that AdvanFort has been now certified in the Stage 1 process, attesting to our company's bottom line of transparency, honesty and integrity," said AdvanFort President and COO William H. Watson.

24 Feb 2013

Counter-piracy Firm Ready for Tougher EU Regulations

AdvanFort Company say it already has a quality management system in place that exceeds the increasingly stiff requirements. “When it comes to counter-piracy operations, a lot of our competitors—faced with these new challenges—still seem to require others' faith in their words,” said Captain William H. Watson, AdvanFort president. German legislation about to be passed is both detailed and will surpass most standards and regulations already governing the market, observers say. Belgium and Cyprus, too, now employ highly pro-active systems to ensure that state-of-the-art standards are in place. AdvanFort’s continuing dedication to quality…

03 Dec 2012

New Maritime Security Book Published

Maritim Security: Image credit NI

The Nautical Institute publish a guide to making a vessel truly secure with a security culture that works both onboard & ashore. Written by Steven Jones MSc BSc (Hons) MNI, Maritime Director of the Security Association for the Maritime Industry (SAMI), the book examines the threats to maritime trade, and to specific ship types, before discussing in detail how the ISPS Code came into being and its underpinning principles and requirements. Subsequent chapters focus on the practicalities of security planning…

27 Nov 2012

Unifire Joins SAMI

Photo from  Unifire

Swedish anti-pirate water cannon manufacturer, Unifire AB (unifire.com), has announced that it has become a full Member of the Security Association for the Maritime Industry (SAMI). SAMI Founder and Security Director, Peter Cook, says, "The Security Association for the Maritime Industry (SAMI) is extremely pleased to welcome Unifire into the global membership. The use of equipment, technology and hardware solutions is increasingly important for shipping, and our members are at the forefront of these developments.

15 Oct 2012

Ambrey Risk Open Day Sets New Marsec Standard

Panel discussion, answering some of the key issues

From ferrying company directors by taxi in and out of Hereford, to greeting others enthusiastically in the specially prepared car park, maritime security specialist, Ambrey Risk’s Open Day was a meticulously planned affair that brought over forty invited guests together in the middle of the Herefordshire countryside on probably the driest day of the year. The event at Ambreys’ Operations and Training Centre was intended to promote transparency and openness and was a unique opportunity to look at the operations of a private maritime security company.

19 Sep 2011

SAMI Welcomes IMO Progress on Ship Security

The Security Association for the Maritime Industry (SAMI) welcomes the IMO’s progress on its revised guidance and recommendations for the use of privately contracted armed security on-board ships. Following last week’s Intersessional Maritime and Piracy Working Group, the IMO has released new guidance and recommendations on the use of privately contracted armed   security personnel. SAMI believes the new guidance and recommendations are timely, as violent pirate attacks are set to reach record levels as they resume after the lull during the monsoon period and a reduction in scale and operation of the world’s navies. There has also been praise for the work undertaken by the IMO on facilitating the passage of armed guards and their weapons on merchant ships.