Feral Jundi

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Maritime Security: Sailors on Xe Anti-Piracy Ship Claim Harassment

Filed under: Maritime Security — Tags: , , , , — Matt @ 3:39 AM

   This is pathetic.  So Blackwater changes it’s name to Xe, yet does absolutely nothing about insuring that it’s management corps is competent? Because obviously, by reading into all of these claims, it looks to me like the leadership on the McArthur sucked.  And what really kills me is that Xe probably pays a really kick ass wage for these positions, yet it looks to me like they invested nothing into instilling any kind of management policy or new company philosophy into these folks.    

     Worse yet, where is the quality control?  Obviously this guy D’Alfio is a loser to the ninth degree, and I bet you dollars to doughnuts that he has a record of poor performance on other boats.  You would think that a multi-million dollar company like Xe would at least invest the time and effort into ensuring that their captain and management on this boat, are folks they want in charge of such a visual project?  Or that because Xe is already skylined, that it would have the business sense to make sure all the pieces of the machine are working properly?  Come on folks, this is getting old, and it is time to get on board with doing things right.

     On another note, bravo to the crew members that had the courage to stand up to these dorks. That sucks that you had to go through such a crappy ordeal, but if Xe is to learn it’s lessons, it takes folks like you to force them to do what is right and actually hold them accountable.  And to me, taking care of your people means actually caring about who you put in charge out there and paying attention to what is happening on these contracts. Leadership, leadership, and leadership…..-Matt  

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Sailors on Blackwater anti-piracy ship claim harrassment

05/14/2009

If three pending legal cases are any indication, it hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing for the Blackwater counterpiracy ship.

The company, now known as Xe, launched the 183-foot vessel McArthur in the fall, saying it was ready to begin patrolling the Gulf of Aden to protect merchant vessels against pirate attacks.

However, legal papers allege that it’s the McArthur’s own crewmen that need protection – from their superior officers.

The picture of life aboard the McArthur that emerges from those documents seems to be ripped from the pages of a pirate yarn of yore: Verbal and physical abuse. Alcohol-fueled outbursts. Racial harassment and retaliation. And the punishment for loose lips: being clapped in irons.

One former crew member says that on the orders of the captain, he was thrown to the deck and handcuffed in retaliation for speaking to a newspaper reporter. He is suing for false imprisonment, saying he was unlawfully detained by being “placed in irons.”

Another crew member, who is black, says that he was subjected to racial epithets from the chief engineer and that when he complained, the captain did nothing about the harassment and retaliated by giving the seaman a poor evaluation.

A third man, the ship’s chief steward, says he was fired after he submitted a written statement to his superiors documenting the hostile work environment and racial harassment aboard the vessel.

Company officials had hoped the McArthur would help take up the slack from the loss of their big diplomatic security contract in Iraq. That contract was not renewed after a 2007 shooting incident in Baghdad left 17 Iraqis dead and spurred a series of lawsuits against the company, which is based in Moyock, N.C.

(more…)

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Maritime Security: U.S. Ships Must Post Guards if Sailing Off Somalia

Filed under: Maritime Security,Somalia — Tags: , , , — Matt @ 9:09 AM

“We expect to see additional security on U.S.-flagged vessels that transit these waters,” said Watson, the Coast Guard’s director of prevention policy.

“It can involve the use of firearms,” he said, but added, “We are looking for things that work but that don’t make the situation worse.” 

   Thanks to Matt for sending me this one, and this is certainly significant.  I have one issue here, that I hope is looked at from a very common sense point of view.  If the Coast Guard is going to suggest that firearms are ok, then things are going to get ‘worse’.  That is what happens in an exchange of gunfire–things get worse, and then hopefully they get better because your force is more violent and accurate and the will of the enemy is stomped. It is about the rule of force and cost benefit analysis, and that is all a pirate will really understand.  

   So if we know that the pirates use AK 47’s, PKM’s, and RPG’s, then I certainly hope that the Coast Guard will be recommending weaponry and tactics that will trump this lethal combination of weapons.  Allowing just pistols, is not acceptable, and you want to give the security forces on these boats the best shot at survival, and for the defense of the boat.  Please….. please….. pretty please, keep that in mind when reviewing the security plans of these ships.  Anything else, and you are setting up these security forces and ships for failure.  We have drawn blood with the last incident, the pirates have made their intentions known about American vessels, and now is not the time to get soft or play around.  The pirates are probably going to default to more extreme violence if they come across a American vessel, or not.  Either way, any meeting between the pirates and these ships must end with the pirates saying, this is not worth the risk.

   Also, this will initiate what I believe to be a ripple effect within the rest of the shipping industry and their view on security.  Once American ships become too problematic to attack, the pirates will simply go after the unarmed ships.  They will start picking out flags that they think are easy pickings, and they will really depend upon their intelligence networks at the ports and harbors to make that process more efficient.  In essence, once America goes towards the armed security realm, others should be wise to follow or become victims of these sea thugs.

   Finally, I want to go back to what I have talked about in the past about security on these boats.  The security contracting industry has a real opportunity to save the day here.  Now is the time to apply some Jundism to this thing called contract maritime security, and do good things out there. –Matt

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U.S. ships must post guards if sailing off Somalia

By Jane Sutton Jane Sutton 

Tue May 12, 2009

FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida (Reuters) – The U.S. Coast Guard will require U.S.-flagged ships sailing around the Horn of Africa to post guards and ship owners to submit anti-piracy security plans for approval, a Coast Guard official said on Tuesday.

The new requirements, which respond to a surge of piracy off the coast of Somalia, allow ship owners to decide whether to use armed or unarmed guards, Coast Guard Rear Admiral James Watson told shipping industry representatives at a maritime security meeting in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

The revised Maritime Security Directive, highly anticipated by the shipping industry, was signed on Monday by Coast Guard Commandant Thad Allen.

(more…)

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Podcasts: NPR-Behind The Business Plan of Pirates Inc.

Filed under: Kidnap And Ransom,Paracargo,Podcasts — Tags: , , , , , — Matt @ 7:58 PM

     I posted the initial story awhile back under ‘paracargo’, with a photo of some cash being dropped to a boat to pay off the pirates.  That part was fascinating to me, but this part of the operation is equally fascinating.  Matter of fact, the whole thing should be a case study at some maritime institute for modern day piracy and kidnap and ransom negotiations on the high seas.  –Matt

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Podcast Here

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paracargo

David B. Hudson/U.S. Navy/AP

A container is parachuted to a ship being held by Somali pirates on Jan. 9. It’s believed the container held ransom money for the ship and its crew — the usual way pirates collect “pay” for their “work” in the piracy business model. 

Behind The Business Plan Of Pirates Inc.

by Chana Joffe-Walt

All Things Considered, April 30, 2009 · 

Piracy off the coast of Somalia has become an international problem — and an international business. Navy SEALS rescued an American merchant captain earlier this month after Somali pirates raided the Maersk Alabama as it was making its way around the Horn of Africa to deliver aid.

But the issues of criminality and the potential for violence aside, a closer look at the “business model” of piracy reveals that the plan makes economic sense.

(more…)

Monday, May 4, 2009

Jobs: Maritime Security Agent(s)

Filed under: Jobs,Maritime Security — Tags: , , — Matt @ 11:42 PM

   This is great news, and I hope to see more maritime security stuff flying in the future.  Please note, these are two separate job postings and I am not the point of contact for these gigs.  

     By the way, if you take these gigs, please apply some Jundism to the contract. Be the guy that does it right, when no one is looking. Be a good leader by knowing your stuff, having the courage to do what is right, and taking care of your people.

     We have a real opportunity here to be the ‘good idea’ out there and make a real contribution to the safety and security of the shipping industry. The eyes of the world are on us, and they will rip us apart if we screw this up. –Matt

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Maritime Security Agent:

Envoy Expeditionary Services is currently accepting CV and resumes for deck, port and commercial vessel security agents. Ideal candidates will have at least four years of experience in military and / or police maritime enforcement. Ideal candidates will have experience of at least one year of high threat deployed experience, and operational experience in maritime platform operations. Candidates must be NATO state citizens with an unblemished background, be able to possess a public trust security clearance, and submit to a thorough screening, including psychological, urinalysis, health, dental, and physical fitness testing.

(more…)

Thursday, April 30, 2009

Video: The Captain Speaks on the Hill, ‘Not Opposed to Private Security’

Filed under: Maritime Security,Video — Tags: , , , , , , — Matt @ 10:02 PM

Captain Philips testifies before congress about his thoughts on how to deal with piracy.  Watch it here. –Matt

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