Feral Jundi

Monday, October 27, 2008

Film: ‘Blackwater’ Screenplay Moving Forward

Filed under: Film — Tags: , , — Matt @ 10:27 AM

   Alright guys, you know who you have to write to, in order to make sure they get it right.  If you want Hollywood to control the story, then don’t say a thing.  Or write this guy on his blog, and let him know how you feel.  Invariably, Hollywood is going to screw up anything they get their hands on though, and I really am not too motivated about this film.  

   Even if the writers have the best of intention, the guys with the money are the ones that dictate the narrative.  And seeing how Hollywood has completely screwed the pooch with how they have treated the troops and their service in Iraq, I really do not have much faith in this thing.  I could be wrong, and these guys might have the intention of producing a quality product that honors the sacrifice of those that died in that company and in the industry, but I doubt it. 

    On the other hand, Hollywood has been screaming for action in the Sudan, and several actors have mentioned Blackwater as a possible tool to save lives there.  But if this film is meant to be another hack job, then I will be disappointed but not really surprised. –Head Jundi

 

Preliminary poster for Blackwater film.

 

Blackwater film by Ron Shusett & John Chadwell moving forward

October 25th, 2008

By John Chadwell

For those who might be interested in the progress of mine and Ron Shusett’s screenplay, “Blackwater,” I just wanted to let you know that it’s moving forward, perhaps not as rapidly as we would like it to, but all the same it’s still very much alive.

There has been some reorganization with the producers that is not entirely clear to me, but we’ve been told that there are investors lined up to back a slate of films, including Blackwater, now under the Shusett Productions banner.

(more…)

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Maritime Security: Blackwater Mulls Anti-Piracy Fleet

     This is getting interesting.  Now it sounds like Blackwater is looking into assembling a fleet?  Very cool news, both for shipping and for security contractors who are looking for this kind of work. 

     Also, it looks like the McArthur won’t be heading out until the end of the year.  They use that boat for training contracts, and those commitments must be met first.  The other big one here, is that Blackwater is shopping around for ships, and will make their purchases based on the current market demand.  The key portion of this article was this statement by Blackwater about market demand.

“Over the last three weeks, our phone has rung off the hook,” he said. “It’s a mixed bag of shipping companies and also some very large admiralty insurance companies.” 

That sounds promising, and we will see how it goes. –Head Jundi

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Blackwater mulls anti-piracy fleet

Lloyd’s List

David Osler 

Wednesday 22 October 2008

 

BLACKWATER – the US government’s prefered private military contractor in Iraq – is considering ambitious plans for a small fleet of two or three anti-piracy vessels, each able to carry several dozen armed security personnel ready to undertake any legal operation. 

The idea is still in its early stages, and will only proceed if there is sufficient demand from shipowners and their insurers for such protection, executive vice-president Bill Matthews told Lloyd’s List.

(more…)

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Technology: Sailwx and Tracking Blackwater’s McArthur Ship

Filed under: Maritime Security,Somalia,Technology — Tags: , , , , — Matt @ 2:30 PM

     Check this out.  You can track Blackwater’s ship called the McArthur on this ship tracker website.  Looks like the ship is still in port in the US.  –Head Jundi

 

Sailwx Ship Tracker Website 

10/23/08 Edit:  This came from the publisher of Sailwx.info 

 Don’t put too much faith in that map. McArthur has not been participating in the voluntary weather reporting network, so they pop up only rarely, when picked up by AIS. Their position has not been updated in months.

Hal Mueller

sailwx.info publisher 

Saturday, October 18, 2008

News: Blackwater Sends Warships to Gulf of Aden

Filed under: Maritime Security,News,Somalia — Tags: , , , — Matt @ 11:05 AM

     So I guess according to this story, Blackwater is sending a ship.  We’ll see how that old ship they bought holds up.  I would be interested to hear what weapons systems they brought with them.  I would highly doubt that they only brought a couple of pistols or rifles.  Hell, if that is all they brought, then if I was a pirate I would try to take Blackwater’s ship and grab that helicopter. LOL 

    Seriously though, that will be great for them to be able to throw a helicopter up and see any trouble before it shows up.  The thing that concerns me though, are the days when the helicopter cannot go up or when their one helicopter has a possible break down or needs maintenance.  Or god forbid, the thing crashes or they have to do an emergency landing on the shore.  How the Somalis would react to a Blackwater helicopter would be interesting to say the least.  I am sure they have worked out these issues, and will really work them out once they are operational. –Head Jundi  

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Blackwater sends warship to Gulf of Aden 

David Osler – Friday 17 October 2008

BLACKWATER Worldwide — the US private military contractor embroiled in controversy over its actions in Iraq — has sent a private sector warship equipped with helicopters to the Gulf of Aden, and is offering its services to shipowners concerned with Somali piracy. 

The vessel, McArthur, is described as a multipurpose unit designed to support military and law-enforcement training, peace-keeping and stability operations. 

(more…)

Thursday, October 16, 2008

News: Blackwater Offers Up the MV MacArthur for Ship Protection, Somalia

Filed under: Maritime Security,News,Somalia — Tags: , , , , — Matt @ 1:16 PM

     Wow, so here comes Private Security to the rescue..maybe. I like this boat, but where is the massive bear paw Blackwater logo? LOL.  But seriously, I think it is important to note that this escort ship has the ability to send up a helicopter for observation purposes, as well as send out counter assault ships(I am assuming) to interdict the bad guys.  Will they outfit this thing with weaponry that could actually stop a small and fast moving ship?  I hope so.  

    No word on the cost of such a thing to the shipping industry, but I am sure there is some deal where they would get a discount from the insurance companies if they use security that met their approval(and State Department approval).  I am just guessing on that, but it sounds logical given what happened with Hart Security and their insurance gig.

     So maybe this is a sign that the insurance companies are finding that it is more cost effective to actually protect these ships, as opposed to pay off pirates with millions of dollars worth of ransom?  Oh say it isn’t so…… –Head Jundi  

 

Blackwater Ship

Blackwater is offering the MV MacArthur, a 183-foot vessel with a crew of 14 and a helicopter pad, as an escort for ships through the Gulf of Aden. 

 

Blackwater offering to protect ships from pirates near Somalia

By Jeff Bliss

Bloomberg

Published: October 16, 2008

Blackwater Worldwide, whose security guards came under scrutiny after a 2007 fatal shootout in Iraq, is looking to the high seas to expand business, marketing its security services to shippers plagued by pirates.

Blackwater is in talks with several companies about protecting ships traveling through the Gulf of Aden between Yemen and Somalia, where piracy is increasing, said officials of the Moyock, North Carolina-based company.

(more…)

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