Feral Jundi

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Company Spotlight: Drum Cussac

     Drum Cussac deserves a little attention here, and I would like to thank Marcel at the Feral Jundi Facebook Page for sending me some recent information about them. I have posted a job deal from Drum Cussac in the past, and interestingly enough, it was for some FCO work. I say this because in the article below, it is yet again the FCO wanting to work with Drum Cussac for a contract training the TFG coast guard in Somalia to battle pirates.  I guess the FCO likes working with Drum Cussac, and that is why I wanted to do a company spotlight on them.

     Oh, and the dorks at the Telegraph should really think before getting all pissed off about their government hiring ‘mercenaries’ and using tax payer’s money for contracting their services. What the article forgets to emphasize (yet still mentions) is that the money the FCO would use for contracting Drum Cussac’s services, would be the $25 million dollars in so-called ‘aid money’ given to them by the US.  So I am not sure how this would be construed as taking from the British tax payer? Hell, if anything, US money for anti-piracy operations should go towards contracting the services of US companies.

     But back to Drum Cussac.  I found a few interesting things about the company worth noting, but there are also some areas that I am foggy about. For example, there is no history section on the company’s website that discusses where the name ‘Drum Cussac’ came from?  There really isn’t any information about the leadership of the company on the website either, but I did find out who the CEO of Drum Cussac is via other means. He is former Scots Guards officer Jeremy Stampa Orwin.

    As for the business that Drum has done, as of 2008 they had over 130 super-yachts as clients, with each boat worth more than £50 million. Not bad, and it sounds like recently they have done a lot to corner the super yacht market with their partnership with Yacht Lifeline. I am sure business has increased since that time, and their other shipping protection work, as well as the oil and gas stuff has made them a pretty penny. They also mentioned ‘500 transits’ in high risk waters over the last five years, so that is something.

    I was really interested when they started promoting ‘armed security’ in a press release, and the Telegraph story took an interest as well. For a British company, promoting maritime armed security is a rarity it seems. lol But it is a sign of the times that armed security is what is probably being demanded now a days. Especially as each ransom paid continues to add to the lethality and size of the piracy problem.  Perhaps shipping companies are starting to get the idea that something needs to be done, other than fueling the problem with more money.

    The other area of interest was their Political Evacuation Insurance they offer.  I am wondering if this insurance would cover a situation like what happened to Ross Perot’s company in Iran? I would be very curious to know how far a company like this would go to save a client?

    Finally, I have posted a link to probably one of the best Maritime Security forums out there, located at Close Protection World’s family of forums.  They have tons of information about the SSO certification for maritime security work, and they discuss Drum Cussac from time to time. Especially this current news story about them.

     From what I gather, Drum offers a pretty good SSO course for a reasonable price.  I have yet to hear any complaints and they sound comparable to other companies offering the same. No word on wether or not you could get on some database after getting this training, but I am sure they would offer some kind of networking potential or even recruitment offers via email every once in awhile.

     Although it sounds like this current gig offering £1,500-a-day would only be reserved for their high-end guys. But you never know, and they do cover a lot of boats out there, so the work has to be there.  Definitely check out all the stuff below and if anyone has anything else to add about the company, please feel free to chime in. –Matt

Armed Security Teams

October 2010

Drum Cussac, the market leader in anti-piracy and maritime security consultancy, can now supply a full range of armed services for the protection of vessels in transit through high risk waters and for static operations or survey work in areas of high threat.

Our armed option has been designed to provide fully legitimate, properly licensed and trained teams to deploy onboard vessels. Our teams are experienced UK Nationals and are equipped with new and modern weapon systems. We are able to operate from a number of ports in the Indian sub-continent, Africa, Gulf States and the Mediterranean.

David Pickard, Head of Maritime at Drum Cussac, said: “With the continued increase in piracy related incidents worldwide, this has lead to a demand for additional security services. The new armed option enables us to remain focused in helping many of our current and potential clients to mitigate the risks from piracy and other risk issues across the maritime industry. Our new services include Armed Vessel Escort Teams, Armed Vessel Protection Teams, Vessel Escort Services and Turnkey Project Security Solutions.”

Drum Cussac’s Maritime division has been in existence for over five years and has conducted over 500 successful transits in high risk waters, as well as providing a range of other high risk operational, turnkey solutions in West Africa, East Africa, the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden. All of our services are supported by a dedicated Maritime Operations Team and a purpose built 24/7 Response Centre.

Link to press release here.

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Paul and Rachel Chandler: British mercenaries hired to take on the Somali pirates

The Government is in secret talks to send taxpayer-funded British mercenaries to war torn Somalia to confront the pirates attacking commercial shipping and behind the kidnapping of Paul and Rachel Chandler.

The controversial plan will see the ex-special forces team sent to train Somali nationals to take on the pirates along the country’s lawless coastline

By Jason Lewis

20 Nov 2010

A Sunday Telegraph investigation can reveal that senior Foreign Office officials have held detailed discussions with a British security firm employing former members of the Special Boat Service (SBS) about setting up and running the operation.

The controversial plan – indirectly funded with aid money from British taxpayers – will see the ex-special forces team sent to train Somali nationals to take on the pirates along the country’s lawless coastline.

The revelation comes days after the release of the Chandlers, from Tunbridge Wells, who were held hostage by Somali pirates for more than a year after being captured on their yacht while on a retirement sailing holiday.

Acting as “mentors” the ex-SBS men will be allowed to accompany the new crews on patrols going into action in armed encounters with the gangs.

The plan is particularly sensitive because previous attempts to train Somali military recruits have seen them swap sides and join the pirates or Islamic insurgents, taking their weapons and equipment with them.

Operating in fast boats capable of outrunning the pirates’ converted fishing vessels, the plan is to retake the coastline and prevent the pirates from putting to sea or returning to shore with kidnap victims.

The operation is seen as essential to protect shipping navigating off the Horn of Africa. Ships currently rely on protection from international naval vessels – including Royal Navy frigates – which are spread too thinly.

Piracy has become so commonplace that conveys of ships are asking for naval escorts through the area while some shipping firms are hiring armed guards to protect their vessels, crews and cargo.

So far this year there have been 164 piracy incidents, with 37 vessels hijacked, around 700 seafarers taken hostage and 12 people killed or injured.

The decision to call in ex-special forces soldiers earning up to £1,500-a-day is highly controversial.

The Foreign Office involvement with ‘soldiers of fortune’ is reminiscent of the Sandline Affair which saw the department accused of sanctioning the activities of a private military company, Sandline International, breaking an arms embargo to ship weapons to Sierra Leone.

The Foreign Office is leading the way on the plan through its chairmanship of the United Nations Working Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia.

Working group number one, which is overseeing ‘military and operation co-ordination’, is headed by Chris Holtby, the FCO’s Deputy Head of Security Policy.

An internal UN document prepared by Mr Holtby says: “Crimes such as human trafficking are happening with impunity … security is the key issue.”

It adds: “If the authorities … are not yet able to stop kidnappings, it may be possible to send trainers”.

The report, obtained by The Sunday Telegraph, outlines the overall plan to get better “intelligence against pirate bases ashore” and to be “prepared to take action against them”.

It says any enforcement has to be done in accordance with international law.

Disagreements between the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia (TFG) and the authorities in Puntland, the region further north along the coast, have delayed the proposal for a “Somali Coast Guard unit equipped with 8 fast patrol craft and 96 personnel and coastal observation teams”.

This would be supplemented with a 130-strong battalion of marines for “reconnaissance, surveillance and offensive action”.

They are arguing about where the boat crews should come from. The fear is that training local men and handing out equipment, if the crews were not vetted properly, might “exacerbate the existing problem” if those men then joined the pirates.

The Puntland authorities, who are not internationally recognised, want to control the Coast Guard and send their own men to man the patrols and have objected to “the TFG selecting a commercial partner to work with to establish a Coastguard”.

But Mr Holtby’s report adds: “ensuring accountability” would be “a major requirement for attracting donor support” and that the “consultants”, who presented details on plans for a pilot coastguard scheme with the Somali TFG Defence Minister,”recognised the need for due legal process”.

An earlier, privately funded, attempt to train a coast guard unit in the region using ex-SAS trainers failed when the money from international donors ran out.

This was followed by three serving Coast Guard members being arrested and jailed after hijacking a Thai fishing trawler that they were supposed to be escorting and demanding a £500,000 ransom. The men claimed their wages had not been paid.

Now Mr Holtby has been involved in discussions with British ‘business risk consultants’ Drum Cussac, which already supplies armed security teams to shipping companies, to train the new Somali coastguard.

Last night the firm refused to comment, but it is understood it has been hired by the TFG with the international community agreeing to foot the bill.

The money will come from $25 million the US Government have promised to the antipiracy project.

Britain, which has so far not committed “specifically counter-piracy” money, will also contribute from “overlaying of benefits from counter-terrorism, counter-trafficking, migration, development/rule of law” funds.

Drum Cussac, which describes itself as ‘the market leader in antipiracy and maritime security’, is headed by former Scots Guards officer Jeremy Stampa Orwin.

Mr Stampa Orwin’s previous firm Lifeguard shared offices with Sandline and, according to a Parliamentary report, until 1998, had “from time to time” co-operated “with but is otherwise operationally separate”.

Drum Cussac says it can ‘supply a full range of armed services for the protection of vessels in transit through high risk waters and for static operations or survey work in areas of high threat’.

‘Our armed option’, it says, ‘has been designed to provide fully legitimate, properly licensed and trained teams to deploy on board vessels. Our teams are experienced UK nationals and are equipped with new and modern weapons systems.’

Senior Whitehall sources confirmed Foreign Office officials had met with the security firm involved but insisted it was at the request of the Somali Government. The meetings, the source said, were in line with the strict Government rules on dealing with such firms.

However it was acknowledged that donor cash, including British taxpayers money, would “indirectly” pay for their operation.

Abdallah Boss Ahmed, until recently the Somali defence minister, confirmed he had approved the plan.

He said: “The concept … involves the contracting of specialist private companies to train, equip and mentor vetted Somali recruits to operate effectively and with respect for … Human rights in retaking control of (the) … Somali coast and associated territorial waters.”

Story here.

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Drum Cussac and Yacht Lifeline form strategic alliance

Friday, 15 October 2010

Drum Cussac and Yacht Lifeline have formed a strategic alliance to provide a combined 24/7 medical and security support-package to the global superyacht community. When an onboard emergency takes place, the last thing you want is to contact a list of people to assist with the incident. With this in mind, this new partnership will provide the superyacht industry with unrivalled 24/7 medical and security support, wherever it is needed in the world.

Drum Cussac, the world leader in maritime risk services and emergency response consultancy, provide Specialist Maritime Information Services, training, Armed and Unarmed Vessel Protection, technical security consultancy, 24/7 Emergency Response and Competent Authority services.

Yacht Lifeline, the leading medical services provider to the superyacht industry, supplies MCA compliant medical kits, global 24/7 medical assistance, tempus telemedicine, advanced STCW 95 medical training, medical crew recruitment and medical crew placement.

Paul Evans, Drum Cussac’s ITR Divisional Manager, comments: “Our strategic alliance is a step in Drum Cussac expanding its security solutions to the superyacht industry. Unlike many of our competitors, together we can offer a holistic package, backed up by a wealth of support services and a focused 24/7 operational response capability. We continue to pride ourselves on going that extra mile for our clients.”

Tony Nicholson, Yacht Lifeline’s Managing & Founding Director, added: “Our new alliance with Drum Cussac will allow us to offer additional 24/7 medical and security services under the Yacht Lifeline umbrella. This will include huge resources to deal with vessel protection, fire, collision, spills, Designated Person Ashore (DPA) Alert and the benefits of a recognised Competent Authority provider.”

Press release here.

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Forum thread on Drum Cussac at Close Protection World here.

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Drum Cussac World First to Attain Unique Political Evacuation Insurance

February 2009

Drum Cussac, the international business risk consultancy, has become the world’s first company to secure an integrated insurance cover for all security operations in support of their clients, including the previously uninsurable emergency political evacuation scenario.

For the first time, companies searching for new international markets and outsourcing production within known volatile political environments can, through the services of Drum Cussac, offer their staff the highest duty of care through an indemnified evacuation solution, protecting against the cost of evacuating staff in a politically motivated crisis, including war, coups, rebellions and terrorist attacks.

This political evacuation insurance framework has been developed by Drum Cussac and HSBC Insurance Brokers, and it has been backed by an A-rated insurance underwriter. Drum Cussac are now covered for providing evacuation operations to their clients from countries that are currently stable but known to be politically volatile, even if they are on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s advisory list. Obviously, cover is not provided for those entering an existing conflict, war or rebellion zone.

Drum Cussac’s Managing Director, Jeremy Stampa Orwin, said: Increasingly, we see companies sending staff abroad across new and potentially dangerous frontiers in order to develop new markets and new customers, find and extract natural resources, outsource services or build new facilities, plants and infrastructure. Often they do this with a loose and unbudgeted contingency fund to cover the cost of extracting their staff in an emergency. Now our clients can enjoy the security of a guaranteed emergency evacuation plan, covered within a set budget.

If you have staff engaged in commercial activities in emerging global markets and a political event necessitates evacuation, one call to us will set the pre-planned operation into action. For years it has been assumed that the cost of such an evacuation could not be anticipated or valued. However, we have worked alongside some exceptional insurance experts to demonstrate that the risk is quantifiable, and therefore, insurable.

To instigate the insurance cover, clients will undergo a comprehensive risk analysis by Drum Cussac so that the extent of the activity and staffing can be assimilated and the risk calculated. Once a formal evacuation plan has been adopted and accepted by an underwriter, a premium or fee will be set, and thereafter, Drum Cussac can extract their clients under full cover. The cover includes the services of a specialist medical assistance provider, FirstAssist. FirstAssist employs a network of trained doctors, nurses and case managers who are on hand 24/7 to provide advice, support and immediate response.

HSBC Insurance Brokers said: The pressure on business to pursue commercial goals on a global scale has been considerable over the past decade. Many companies have had little choice but to send staff overseas, whether on a permanent posting or intermittent travel, exposing them to political volatility and often without providing plans or protection against considerable risks. We have worked with Drum Cussac to provide a unique combination which will ensure that their clients will be able to offer their staff proper protection and fulfil their duty of care.

Press release here.

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Drum Cussac

September 2008

Rare is the HNW who will not confess to an occasional desire to drop their heir, unaccompanied by staff or even a pith helmet, into the Amazon basin or the Sahara or the Arctic. Happily, Drum Cussac has a way of facilitating this — but as an educational, life-skills-learning experience, not as a punishment.

James Howard-Hggins of Drum Cussac says that training the next generation of HNWs is a booming part of the firm’s practice: ‘We put together packages where they can go off for three weeks and do something completely different. It takes them back to reality, so they get self-worth and self-respect.’ Together with its less dangerous wealth-management programme for heirs, Drum Cussac are playing a key role in the market for future HNWs.

Servicing this youthful end of the business is by no means all Drum Cussac does. If you have been on a super-yacht lately, the chances are that its security has been provided by Drum Cussac: according to Howard-Higgins, they have 130 super-yachts worth more than £50 million each on their books. This security involves a variety of operations, including their maritime intelligence service, Pharos; a technical team to ensure a high-security specification before you sail; and crisis management, should you sail into the Malacca Straits unprepared. There is also a special insurance policy, should a ransom need to be reimbursed.

Pharos, which is a single-page assessment of political, onshore and offshore issues, has been bolstered by a strategic alliance with Dryad Maritime Intelligence Service, which has developed an IT system to assist with risk management. Strategic alliances are a common feature of Drum Cussac’s business: an alliance with Aviation Personnel International allows better selection of business aviation staff and one with MedAire provides access to emergency medical services. While Drum Cussac does not subcontract its work, creating a long-term familiarity with clients, their tie-ups greatly expand their resources.

Its founder and general manager is Jeremy Stampa Orwin, a former army officer with twenty years’ experience as a risk manager. A childhood in Nigeria has led to a grasp of African politics and culture, and Drum Cussac now has a strong presence on the continent.

Another speciality of the firm is oil and gas industry security. Having worked in the most productive but also most dangerous areas (the Middle East, the CIS, Africa), Drum Cussac have a clear overview of what is needed — from risk surveys and travel security to kidnap support.

This involvement in industries in troubled countries has not stretched to war zones: ‘We’re one of the few practices that hasn’t gone into Iraq and Afghanistan and there was a very clear and strategic decision not to do that,’ says Howard-Higgins. Many of its competitors in the security industry have found lucrative rewards in Iraq and Afghanistan, so its decision to focus on the high-end market reflects a desire to deepen current expertise rather than engage in a highly risky venture.

Security companies make very different levels of noise, but Drum Cussac is almost inaudible in their self-promotion: ‘Our business is by referral, so one family will recommend us to another family. All of our business growth has been organic in the last five years,’ says James Howards-Higgins. This level of privacy is obviously highly desirable when dealing with families, their businesses and their yachts, but it has not stopped the expansion of Drum Cussac into overseas markets: Singapore, Libya, Monaco, two offices in the United States.

Drum Cussac may not have the instant name recognition of Kroll, but its low-profile does not reflect any sort of junior status: when it comes to HNWs, Drum Cussac has them covered on land and on sea.

Link to story here.

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