Tag: armed guards

With shipowners taking additional efforts to safely evacuate seafarers who are trapped in the Black Sea,  22 crew members from the Philippines on MTM Rio Grande were evacuated with the help of private armed personnel.

On 18 February 2021, Risk Intelligence published a set of guidelines concerning the use of privately contracted government security forces in Nigeria.

Amid an alarming trend of continuous piracy attacks against ships in Gulf of Guinea, BIMCO revealed plans to develop a new standard contract for hiring the services of security escort vessels (SEV).

Busan port has requested from all agents and ships’ Masters to arrange for two or more private registered security guards around ships with seafarers from South Asia region, while the ships are in the Port, to prevent unauthorized disembarkation of seafarers. 

Benin informed that all ships bound for a port in the country are required to have an Armed Protection Team (APT). Failing that, the vessel must receive a protection service by the Benin Public Forces at the entrance to Benin's territorial waters. The associated fees will be paid at the port of call.

On July 21, 2020, M/V Jaeger owned by Eagle Bulk Shipping Inc., embarked three security guards in the Indian Ocean before sailing towards the Red Sea. Once onboard, one of the guards did not surrender his weapon to the vessel’s Captain as is normal protocol, and then took control of and deviated the ship from its course as he voiced his grievances and demanded compensation.

Dryad Global express their concern about the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact it has on placing armed guards onboard vessels, noting that on a large volume of transits through the Indian Ocean, Gulf of Aden and Southern Red Sea, the embarkation of Armed Security is an unnecessary cost.

Instead of relying on an ever-shifting number of rules and regulations which are in constant flux, ship managers should instead be looking at more permanent solutions to ensure maritime security, argued Steve Regis, COO, ARX Maritime, in a new article in the wake of the changing security environment in Nigeria.

USCG announced it is modifying the conditions of entry for vessels arriving in the US from the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire by adding an exemption for two facilities: Carena Shipyard and Terminal A Containers, Abidjan, starting from 3 January 2018.

A merchant vessel was approached by pirates on a mother ship on the evening of Sunday, 21 January, in the Gulf of Aden, 90 nm South East of Mukallah, according to the maritime security company LSS-SAPU. The involved ship is said to be the Panama-flagged cement carrier 'NACC Valbella'.