Feral Jundi

Abdinoor, chief executive officer of African Shipping Line, Espada’s local agentEspada has 14 vessels with armed personnel who will offer security from the East African ports to Yemen.

Most of the firm’s security team have military training and experience in defending ships, Mr Abdinoor said.

Espada has 50 personnel, and expects to increase this to 150 when physical escort along the Somali waters takes ships in the coming months.

Interesting little bit of news there and below I have provided their career section page with an email to send a resume too. Although I am sure they have tons of guys already on the books but still, it doesn’t hurt to get your resume out there.  Hopefully they will pop up in the comments section like they have done in the past, and fill in any blanks or add any new information about this potential increase in jobs and size of contract. Good news to them and bravo for getting the job done! –Matt

ESPADA Logistics and Security Group website here.

African Shipping Lines website here.

Edit: 10/28/2010 – Jim was kind enough to come up in the comments section and correct the record of this article. It seems the numbers offered in the article are a little off. Check it out.

Matt,

While Espada has greatly expanded its security operations in the area….we do NOT have 14 vessels operating in the Indian Ocean. We have 3 vessels we use on charter when needed for special security projects (cable-layers, barges, heavy lift, etc). Also, we are NOT investing $50M in the region….only a fraction of that amount. We have partnered with African Shipping Lines for regional support…but need to have better coordination on any press releases so that facts are accurately communicated. Reputation is everything and I would rather under report what we are doing than exaggerate our position. We have worked very hard to get where we are by delivering to customers what we say we can…not by puffing smoke.

You are correct that we have a large pool of talent waiting for open positions. However, I would still encourage QUALIFIED MARSEC personnel to apply through our website as we are expanding rapidly to meet new contract demands.

As always, I am available for further clarification and discussion.

– Jim Jorrie CEO, Espada Marine Services

Edit: 06/09/2011- At this time, Feral Jundi does not endorse this company.  I have received multiple negative reports from contractors that have worked for this company, and I am not at all impressed with the way they are operating. Buyer beware….Feel free to email me if you have any questions. Also please check out this thread on SOCNET about Espada.

US security firm provides armed escort to curb pirate attacks

By GITHUA KIHARA and GALGALO BOCHA

Wednesday, October 27 2010

A private US security firm is working with a Mombasa-based shipping line to provide armed escort to ships using the East Coast of Africa in a bid to order to reduce piracy along Somalia’s coast.

Espada Logistics and Security Group, based in San Antonio, Texas, plans to invest up to $50 million to boost its vessels, which will be deployed in East Africa to escort vessels from the ports of Mombasa and Dar es Salaam to Yemen.

Ships are currently avoiding the Somalia waters and are taking a longer route, said Mr Ibrahim Ahmed Abdinoor, chief executive officer of African Shipping Line, Espada’s local agentEspada has 14 vessels with armed personnel who will offer security from the East African ports to Yemen.

Most of the firm’s security team have military training and experience in defending ships, Mr Abdinoor said.

Espada has 50 personnel, and expects to increase this to 150 when physical escort along the Somali waters takes ships in the coming months.

“Although the United Nations and international forces have acted to prevent ship hijackings, they cannot protect every ship that travels through this vast and strategic stretch of water. Some shipping companies are turning to private security firms for help,” a joint statement issued by the African Shipping Line and Espada said.

The firm is already providing security by putting officers on a ship at its port of origin to the point of destination.

The officers provide anti-piracy training en route to the Gulf of Aden and focus on attack prevention, Abdinoor said.

“The problem with this approach is that it stretches what should be a three-day job into nearly three weeks in some cases. It’s not a great financial model for us or for them because it ties up a team,” says Mr Jim Jorrie, Espada’s president.

The team trains the crew to mobilise fire hoses and other non lethal means to repel pirates.

Crews are further taught how to react if their ships are boarded, making sure that they know which alerts to sound and what parts of the ship to lock themselves into if pirates board a vessel.

“If pirates are spotted, the Espada team will let them know that the ship is well armed, the goal being to deter attacks rather than to engage and capture the pirates,” Jorrie said.

The additional cost of fuel per ship due to the longer voyage is $3.5 million (Sh280 million) according to Jorrie, which is not comparable with the cost of hiring security in order to use the shorter route through Somali waters.

“Ships from Dubai to Mombasa used to take six to seven days, but the voyage is today taking 12 days since shipping lines are now taking a longer route, further from the Somali coast, to avoid that coastline,” Mr Abdinoor said.

A ship from Mumbai in India, which previously took 12 days, is today spending 18 days at sea since the voyage has to move further down South near Madagascar, Abdinoor added.

Due to the high risk of using Somali waters, container shipping lines have to charge an additional fee of $120 (Sh9,600) per Twenty Foot Equivalent Units (Teus) on imports and US$ 95 (Sh7,600) per Teus on exports, the Kenya Ships Agents Association chairman David Mackay said recently.

“For oil and bulk grain cargo, it is also estimated that freight rates have increased by over $15 (Sh1,800) per tonne in the last year to cover insurance and security costs,” Mr Mackay said.

Other ships prefer to use the longer Cape of Good Hope route in South Africa, which lines say make them incur higher costs of ship maintenance, increased fuel consumption and transit times.

Total cost to the Kenyan economy will likely be over $200 million (Sh16.2 billion) in additional shipping costs for this year due to the piracy crisis, Mr Mackay said.

Story here.

——————————————————————

Espada Press Release

Oct. 14, 2010

Providing Maritime Security Against

Somalia’s Piracy Round The Clock

TESTIMONIALS

June 30, 2010

“Surely if it wasn’t for the actions of the ESPADA security team the

vessel would have been taken.” Says a Captain in the area of the Bab-el-

Mandeb Strait

*****

A private US security company, ESPADA is working With AFRICAN

SHIPPING LINE, a leading shipping Line company at the port of

Mombasa-Kenya to provide security to ships plying along East Coast of

Africa in order to reduce instances of Ship hijacking along the Somalia’s

coast.

Piracy attacks against ships rose 11 percent from 2007 to 2008, with the increase most

attributable to activity in the Gulf of Aden, off the East coast of Somalia, where 111 of the 293

worldwide piracy cases occurred, according to the International Maritime Bureau. The pirates

were mainly from Somalia, and their goal was ransom money. Although the United Nations and

international forces have acted to prevent ship hijackings, they cannot protect every ship that

travels through this vast and strategic stretch of water. Some shipping companies are turning to

private security for help.

One group that is offering security to ships traveling through the Gulf of Aden is Espada

Logistics and Security Group, headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. Piracy prevention hasn’t

been an easy task, according to Jim Jorrie, Espada’s president. The main problem is getting the

security officers onto the ships solely for its Gulf of Aden stretch and the Somalia’s water.

It’s difficult to negotiate a base of operations in the countries surrounding the Gulf of Aden, says

Jorrie, and it’s especially challenging to get crew members’ weapons in and out of these

countries. What Jorrie’s group is doing for now is putting officers on a ship at its port of origin.

The officers provide antipiracy training en route to the Gulf of Aden, then focus on attack

prevention as they travel through the gulf. They leave the ship at its point of destination. The

problem with this approach is that it stretches what should be a three-day job into nearly three

weeks in some cases. “It’s not a great financial model for us or for them because it ties up a

team,” says Jorrie. He was negotiating a deal with one of the gulf border countries to set up a

more permanent base of operation as this article went to press.

Most of Jorrie’s security team members have military training and experience defending ships.

Espada preps each team on assignments and responsibilities. Once the team is on the vessel, it

pinpoints watch positions and vantage points where force can be used if needed. Jorrie says a

watch is the most effective way to prevent a pirate attack. He recommends thermal imagers or

other nightvision products for the darkness. Espada trains ship crews about watch length; eight

hours is too long, and rotations are important. The Espada teams also train the crew to mobilize

fire hoses and other nonlethal means to repel pirates.

If pirates are spotted, Jorrie’s team will let them know that the ship is well-armed, the goal being

to deter the attack rather than to engage and capture the pirates. Before taking any action, ship

security must verify that these are not just fishing boats. If the vessels turn out to be suspicious,

security will try to determine whether the individuals on board are carrying weapons—guns were

used in 139 incidents in 2008, up from 72 in 2007. Ship security can then shoot a “tracer round”

of flare-type shots or even shoot real rounds around the perimeter of the vessel but far enough

away not to hit anyone. “Our greatest desire is to have them figure out early on that this is not

low-hanging fruit,” says Jorrie.

Jorrie’s group also trains ship crews on how to react if they are boarded, making sure that they

will know which alerts to sound and what safe parts of the ship to lock themselves into. If pirates

do board a vessel, it is challenging for countries or the international community to help. The

recent pirates come mainly from Somalia. Because Somalia is a largely anarchic state, diplomacy

is difficult.

Having authorities confront the pirates is undesirable because an armed standoff with a ship of

heavily armed pirates could be deadly for crew members. Additionally, the ships, cargo, and

crew members are often from different countries, making it unclear which authorities would be

responsible for the rescue.That’s why the ship and cargo companies often turn to private-sector

risk-management companies. These companies provide expertise in hostage negotiation and

crisis management that can be valuable in piracy cases. One such company is Clayton

Consultants, Inc., a Triple Canopy Company, headquartered in Herndon, Virginia.

The company’s ultimate goal is to secure the crew’s safety, says Jack Cloonan, Clayton’s

president. It doesn’t take a law-enforcement or military perspective, meaning that the company’s

objective is not to get the bad guys. In one case that Clayton specialist Leslie Edwards worked

on, the government of Puntland, an autonomous region of Somalia, publicly threatened to attack

the pirates, and Edwards had to involve the governments of various countries to exert diplomatic

pressure on Puntland not to attack. The situation became even more serious once the pirates

heard about the threats.

Cloonan recommends having a negotiation strategy, part of which includes not acquiescing to the

first ransom offer. Companies need to understand that the process is complicated and likely to

take more than a few hours, says Cloonan. The company’s work goes on mainly behind the

scenes. An authorized representative of the ship owner’s company usually interacts directly with

the pirates. This helps conceal the security company’s involvement from the pirates.

Often, the most challenging aspect of the negotiation is figuring out how to hand off the money.

Some options are air drops, sea handovers, and handovers on land. Each choice is risky due to

the possibility that pirates will take the money and not release the crew or that the money will be

stolen. Clayton’s piracy cases have ended successfully with the recovery of the crews and ships.

Link to press release here.

——————————————————————-

Career Opportunities with ESPADA

ESPADA consists of qualified professionals who excel in a specialized and ever-changing security environment. We recruit the best people because our clients expect no less. We seek those who have the following experience:

•Special Forces

•Marine Security

•SWAT/Law Enforcement

•Business Development

Some positions require technical experience in one or more of

the following fields:

•Experience in training host country military personnel

•Operations coordination

•Program management

•Marine security assessments

•Logistics in the Middle East and African regions

ESPADA is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants receive consideration without regard to race, age, ethnicity, religion, gender, national origin, disability or any other basis prohibited by law.

Submit your resume to    hr@espadaservices.com

Applicants should include a cover letter explaining their qualifications. All resumes will be kept on file for one year.