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 dorks promoting the same non-lethal drivel when it comes to dealing with the kind of piracy we are seeing these days. But you never know. There might be a few courageous souls in this conference who are willing to tell it like it is.
I really like the lessons learned aspect of a conference like this, and I really think that will pay big dividends. If any readers are able to attend and give a quick report about how it went, feel free to do so in the comments section. Follow the links below if you want to register for this thing. –Matt
——————————————————————
Date 26 Apr 2010 – 28 Apr 2010
Location Hamburg, Germany
Venue Crowne Plaza Hamburg
Organisation Hanson Wade
Type event Conference, Workshop
Category Defence / Security
“There is a great business out here. You go with friends, you seize a ship and weeks later you come back with big money,” said the 23-year-old, who gave his name only as Gure. “We prefer to do this piracy thing until change comes to this country.”
As each hijacked vessel is released, the ransoms are dramatically rising with a reported payment of over $7million in January 2010.
But what’s most concerning is that as more money is paid the more sophisticated the pirate groups are getting. They’re investing ransom money in equipment and each hijacking leads to an increase in pirate intelligence. They’re learning vulnerable pressure points so each time they can secure the highest possible ransoms are paid. And as the military perfect their act, so do the pirates, who venture hundreds of miles into the Indian Ocean, where naval forces are stretched too thinly to create an effective net.
These regular MARSEQ meetings are proving to be an invaluable platform for sharing intelligence across the global shipping community. We will be coming together again in Hamburg in April to share knowledge gained across this community in the last 12 months. With the rapid increase of attacks and no limits to the range, industry must self protect and as always this meeting will make sure you’re equipped with the latest techniques to fight piracy.
This is the 4th official piracy update meeting from MARSEq and yet again it’s packed full of lessons from 2009. The finest intelligence available to the industry will be revealed and you’ll gain personal access to the best network of experts.
As always, some of the best findings at these meetings come from the informal round table debates and we’ve allowed plenty of time to examine the preventative measures you should be implementing and what support is available to you. Combating Piracy attendees will leave this meeting armed with the latest techniques to keep your fleet and crew safe and effectively handle a hijack situation should one occur.
So what’s new for this meeting in Hamburg?
• Four new hijack case studies and the chance to question those who were actually involved.
• Post hijack strategies will be revealed following the release of MV Victoria
• Most effective preventative measures being used in 2010 revealed including experiences from Capt. Stapleton who fought back and won with simple, old fashioned traps and tricks
• Latest strategies to deal with crew and families before, during and after an attack
• The debate continues on lethal vs non lethal. Who is using lethal force and would it be right for you?
• MT Karagol – Released on 13th January 2009. Following her time in Eyl what can we learn about how the pirates are operating and what might their future strategy be?
• MV Biscaglia was released on 22nd January 2009. Learn how the owner’s team came to expect the unexpected and hear how they found that the crisis didn’t end with the release of the ship.
• Continue to update and improve your emergency response plan and co-ordination between all teams involved during a hijack
• Views from the Flag States. Join the discussion
Speakers
• James Christodoulou, Chief Executive, Industrial Shipping Enterprises Corp.
• Douglas B. Stevenson, Director of the Centre for Seafarers’ Rights, Seamen’s Church Institute
• John Bainbridge, Assistant Secretary, International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF)
• Jörg Molzahn, Managing Director, LISCR (Deutschland)
• Capt. A.K. Bahl, Vice President, British Marine Plc
• Dr. Jan-Thiess Heitmann, Head of Legal Dept., German Shipowners Association
• Capt. Hans-Peter Eisfeld, Lead Trainer for Security in the Maritime Industry, Germanischer Lloyd Academy (GLAC)
• Capt. Chris Chambers, Director, Combined Maritime Forces
• Haldun Dincel, General Manager, Ayder Tankers
• Stephen Phelps, Former Head of Security Intelligence, Shell Nigeria
• Walter P Verstrepen, Lawyer, Elegis
• Stig Jarle Hansen, Horn of Africa Expert, Senior Researcher, Norwegian Institute for Urban and Regional Research
• Thomas Ninneman, Head of Legal & Insurance Dept., Intersee
• John Akhurst, Assistant Director, Bahamas Maritime Authority
• John Ramage, Managing Director, International Registries, Marshall Islands
• Cdr Andreas Kutsch, Senior German Representative, Operation ATALANTA
• Capt. Peter Stapleton, Captain of Boularibank, Andrew Weir Shipping
• Robert Ford, Security Specialist, Office of Security, MARAD
• Rob Andrew, Managing Director, Salama Fikira International Limited
• Pat Adamson, Director, MTI Network
• Gunnar A Knudsen, Ports/Terminals Manager and Security Officer, INTERTANKO
• Stephen Askins, Partner, Ince & Co
• Arild Nodland, Chief Executive Officer, Bergen Risk Solutions
Sign up for event here.