Thanks to Gary for sending me this.  I read this and laughed, and then I wanted to pull my hair out.  How incredibly frustrating this must be for the navies out there that continue to capture these pirates, and then let them go?  At this point, the only real options available are either to […]

    U.S. government policy is “to deny hostage takers the benefits of ransom, prisoner releases, policy changes, or other acts of concession,” the White House said in a statement today.
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   This is the only article I could find that listed the administration’s follow up statement on the matter.  This quote was also added as an […]

   Wow, if this is interpreted this way, this would be very significant.  If in fact ransoms were considered ‘donations’, well then private security is now the only option that shipping companies would have.  Stand by for more on this one, and already the companies are jumping on this.  Check out the Marque Star’s press release in […]

In 2009, pirates attacked 214 vessels and held 58 Indians hostage. India’s government is suggesting that Indian shipowners adopt an “anti-piracy drill” and use private armed guards and decoy vessels to boost sailors’ security in deep waters.
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“They hunt like lions, seeking weak and vulnerable prey,” says Mainstone. […]

   This is a first.  I want to thank the insurance company Maritime and Underwater Security Consultants who sent me this excellent article, and here is a link to their website.  Their intent was to promote that their company has the most extensive insurance plans for kidnap and ransom, and that other companies fall short in […]

     “We stand ready to meet any challenge. Marque Star is seeing tremendous industry response and is accepting deposits for any additional new contracts. We can meet the demand as we are rapidly growing our flotilla of capable ships to deliver customized value to our clients,” says Agbeli Ameko, SVP of International Business Development.
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    It would be great to attend an event like this, just to meet some of the players and get a feel for where the industry is going.  I would especially like to sit in on the lethal versus non-lethal discussion, and hear the various arguments.  My guess is that you will have the same […]

   Excellent.  This is yet again the kind of stuff that will give today’s pirates a pause next time they want to attack a boat. What I would like to know is what weapons and tactics these guys were using?  Because other security details on boats could be learning from these incidents, and improving their […]

   This is cool and maybe the guys from Espada can come back to the blog and fill in some of the blanks about this.  Specifically, if there are any new contracts they are eyeballing or filling in the near future.  It would be great to get some of our unemployed security contractors out there […]

     “The Piracy Business Model” describes a system that guarantees every participating pirate a defined share of the ransom money. It is sophisticated enough that it includes “A” shares and “B” shares similar to preferred and common shares in legitimate publicly traded companies around the globe. Just like with preferred stock, there is a premium for entering the […]