Feral Jundi

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Maritime Security: Top Admiral Says Navy Can’t Sustain Level Of Operations Forever, Shipping Should Think About Armed Guards

Filed under: Maritime Security,Military News — Tags: , , , , — Matt @ 2:37 AM

    “I don’t think we can sustain the level of operation we’ve got down there forever,” said Fitzgerald.

Fitzgerald did not indicate the Navy would abandon the mission any time soon. Instead, his remarks suggest that the answer to piracy may lie elsewhere – especially if it becomes a more violent activity. He says the shipping industry should ensure it is doing everything to deter attacks, including hiring armed security guards, as well as taking other nonlethal actions to thwart pirates.

    “The maritime industry has got to make a decision about how seriously they want to take this on,” he said, in a roundtable discussion with reporters at the Pentagon this week.

***** 

    Could this be a planned strategic communications, to coincide with the Executive Order on piracy?  Because if it is, I am hearing the message loud and clear.  The Navy is getting the memo from DC that chasing pirates costs money, and Destroyers chasing after pirates armed with RPGs in little motorized rowboats is not the most cost effective or best long term solution to the problem.

   But telling the shipping industry to hire security is a solution, and that is exactly what Admiral Fitzgerald said.  So the U.S. administration signs an executive order, and the U.S. Navy is wanting to reduce their pirate hunting operations do to cost or practicality? I guess this means that the Navy will stop playing those ‘Master and Commander’ themed commercials on AFN?  lol –Matt

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Navy looks for ways other than armed patrols to fight Somali pirates

A top admiral says US Navy armed patrols can’t chase Somali pirates indefinitely. Other ways must be found to get to the source of piracy off the coast of Somalia.

By Gordon LuboldApril 16, 2010

The US Navy will be unable to continue long-term operations against pirates off the coast of Somalia, and it’s looking for other ways to solve the growing problem, according to a top admiral.

As Somali pirates continue to find attacking cargo ships in the West Indian Ocean profitable, they have become more and more aggressive, forcing the international community to send naval ships from more than a dozen countries to help patrol the vast waters off Somalia.

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

Filed under: Kenya,Legal News,Maritime Security — Tags: , , , , , — Matt @ 1:23 AM

   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.

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Thursday, April 15, 2010

Maritime Security: Obama’s Piracy Executive Order Prohibits ‘Donations’ And Maybe Ransoms?

Filed under: Maritime Security,Somalia — Tags: , , , , , , — Matt @ 4:10 AM

   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 support of this new order. –Matt

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Obama’s Pirate Executive Order Sparks Concerns With Shipping Lines

15 April 2010

USA / SOMALIA – Late last night President Barak Obama signed an executive order that forbids American corporations and their overseas subsidiaries from having financial dealings with groups that “…directly or indirectly threaten the peace, security, or stability of Somalia.”

President Obama’s order specifically highlights the problems of piracy in the Indian Ocean, stating that: “I hereby determine…acts of piracy or armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia threaten the peace, security, or stability of Somalia. I…determine that…the making of donations…would seriously impair my ability to deal with the national emergency declared in this order, and I hereby prohibit such donations…”

Though specifically aimed at certain individuals and groups, principally the Islamists and warlords fighting against the Somali government and African Union peacekeeping forces, the order has sparked concern amongst shipping lines that it could be construed as applicable to companies that pay ransoms’ to pirates who hijack their vessels, making them culpable.

Though there is some confusion, companies with US interests who are the victims of Somali piracy are now advised to consult with the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the US Treasury Department before making any payments to hijackers.

You can see the full Presidential Order here.

Link to story here.

 

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Maritime Security: Marque Star Signs On Former Dell V.P. Steve Belt As CTO, And Buys A Boat

Filed under: Industry Talk,Letter Of Marque,Maritime Security — Tags: , , , , , — Matt @ 1:37 AM

     “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.

*****

   Interesting news with Marque Star, and they have definitely popped up onto the radar screen lately. At this pace, I will have to do a company spotlight on these guys. lol

   Now will all this activity transfer into an actual increase in market share and business for the companies involved? Who knows, but when I see folks making all of these types of high end business moves, someone is reading the ‘Tea Leaves’ and getting ready.

   They also bought a pretty beefy boat called the Archangel Michael, and for their sake I hope this doesn’t turn into a MacArthur venture for them. We will keep our eye on this one. –Matt

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Marque Star Signs on Steve Belt as CTO

April 05, 2010

WASHINGTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The Former Dell Inc. Vice President, Steve Belt, has joined the private maritime security company Marque Star as CTO. Belt brings advanced technologies which will better equip Marque Star in its Pursuit to Take on Piracy and Secure the World’s Oceans for its Clients. Steve Belt will be responsible for the worldwide deployment of Marque Star’s industry-leading Command and Control and Governance Systems.

As VP, Business Client Product Development he was responsible for 550 employees across four international sites, including Austin, Taipei, Shanghai, and Limerick Ireland, and worldwide Client Platform Hardware and Software development for Dell. He also was responsible for the Office of the CTO and Advanced Engineering organizations which develop and enable the technology used in Dell’s client products. “Marque Star’s vision of using advanced technology to protect their clients from all forms of maritime security threats, coupled with my background in the technology industry, was a perfect match. I am excited about the opportunity to join Marque Star and help bring the latest in high-tech to the challenges of maritime security,” says Steve Belt, CTO Marque Star.

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Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Maritime Security: Combating Piracy 2010, Hamburg

Filed under: Germany,Industry Talk,Maritime Security — Tags: , , , , , , — Matt @ 3:43 AM

    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

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Combating Piracy 2010

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.

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