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. “At AdvanFort, what count are deeds — and I am very happy to report that our company welcomes the increasing scrutiny by some of the most important European Union countries of the offerings of private maritime security companies (PMSCs).”

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 management means it is also going through International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9001certification (and looking forward to ISO 2800-7) while currently seeking similar approval by the Security Association for the Maritime Industry (SAMI).

Captain Watson points out that the Panama Maritime Authority (PMA) has just approved AdvanFort’s counter-piracy operations for its ship registry. In addition, this month a number of AdvanFort vessel security officers are participating in a first-ever counter-piracy training program for corporations working in the merchant marine environment.