Feral Jundi

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Maritime Security: US Firm ESPADA Services Provides Armed Escorts To Curb Pirate Attacks, Somalia

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.

(more…)

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Maritime Security: The Catch And Release Saga Continues–Kenya Falters On Prisoner Deal

   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 kill these pirates, or let them go back home with a full tank of gas and some food so they can come back and do it all over again.  It is the ultimate criminal venture, because there is no punishment.

    All you have to do is survive the assault on your target, and collect your pirates salary in the form of a ransom.  If the Obama administration wanted to provide some leadership in an area of this issue, squaring away the legal mechanism for dealing with these thugs would have been an excellent move. –Matt

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Diplomatic eruption over piracy aid

April 17, 2010

Kenya’s U-turn over a deal to try Somali pirate suspects is based on Nairobi’s conviction that the European Union has been slow to hand over cash promised months ago, according to people close to the situation.

Diplomatic row erupts over piracy aid payments

Kenya’s U-turn over a deal to try Somali pirate suspects is based on Nairobi”s conviction that the European Union has been slow to hand over cash promised months ago, according to people close to the situation.

The EU is now seeking a meeting with the Kenyan government to find out where it stands, and is actively looking for other countries in the region willing to undertake prosecutions. EU sources insist that Kenya has not made any formal complaints over the issue.

(more…)

Friday, February 12, 2010

Bounties: $5,000,000 For Wanted War Criminal Felicien Kabuga, Reported To Be In Kenya

Filed under: Africa,Bounties,Kenya — Tags: , , , , — Matt @ 2:07 PM

   Man, will someone grab this guy?  There are still a whole slew of these war criminals still floating around from the Rwandan genocide days, and they all have bounties too.  Hopefully any of my African readers will jump on this, and I will be crossing my fingers for you. This would also be a good one for the Bounty Hunter Mobile App. if it existed. Good luck and happy hunting guys and gals.  –Matt

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Alleged Rwandan genocide financier still in Kenya: US

February 09, 2010

ARUSHA — The alleged financier of the Rwandan genocide, Felicien Kabuga, is still in Kenya, notwithstanding government declarations to the contrary, US diplomat Stephen Rapp said Tuesday on a visit to Arusha.

“I’m going to Nairobi tomorrow to talk to the Kenyan authorities about the arrest of Kabuga, who is still in Kenya,” Rapp, US extraordinary ambassador on war crimes, told AFP during a visit to the Tanzanian city of Arusha.

“We have intelligence indicating Kabuga is in Kenya,” said Rapp, who made the same claim late last year.

Rapp on Tuesday discussed the same issue with officials of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), which is based in Arusha, including tribunal president Dennis Byron and prosecutor Hassan Bubacar Jallow.

Kabuga is the most wanted of 11 genocide suspects sought by the ICTR and still on the run. The United States has placed a five-million-dollar bounty on his head.

(more…)

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