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 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.