1. Two Security Guards Shot Dead Onboard Spanish Tuna Boat. 2. Questions of maritime piracy and security.

 Two Security Guards Shot Dead Onboard Spanish Tuna Boat

TWO security guards of the Spanish company Seguribérica died Friday [8 Apr] on board the Spanish tuna fishing vessel, Txori Gorri, while the ship was fishing off the coast of Madagascar, about 90 miles from Port Victoria, Seychelles.

According to sources of the forces and state security bodies, a discussion between the two triggered a shootout in which one of the guards, Juan José Vera Carrillo, shot his partner, Juan Manuel Martinez Marchante, and then committed suicide.

According to the same sources, the ship has remained several hours without government "because the crew was shocked after the altercation" and the assailant was strong in one of the cabins of the boat before committing suicide. The presence of private security in fishing vessels with Spanish flag is usual since there were several pirate attacks in those areas at risk.

"Before he died he was talking to someone in the company, " says a member of the shipping company. "We do not know what has happened, he fired several shots, " he adds.

Indeed, the Txori Gorri ("Robin" in Esukera, Basque language), a ship of Bermeo built in the shipyards of Murueta in 2007 and owned by the company Inpesca, and was attacked by several Somali pirates in 2009. Back then the skipper of the boat, which has thirty crew, was French Ronan Auffret.

The Txori Gorri is one of the first Spanish fishing boats to have private security guards on board. By law, these guards may use weapons of war ammunition less than 12 mm. Today they were three, according to sources with the owner.

It is anticipated that the ship will arrive in Port Victoria with the two bodies around 6am in the morning on Saturday.

source:

http://www.oceanuslive.org/main/viewnews.aspx?uid=00001120

Questions of maritime piracy and security.

Maritime piracy and security are not as hot a topic as they were a few years ago, but anyone in the industry who thinks these problems have been solved are deluding themselves.

Last week I spent a day chairing a small maritime security conference, where questions such as - “Will Somali piracy comeback?”, “How can an owner protect his ship from pirates off West Africa?” and “What will happen to the private maritime security companies (PMSC)?” - were hotly debated.

As with most these types of events it probably raised as many questions as it answered, but it did very well illustrate the complexity of the maritime security issue and the fact it is about much more than just Somali piracy.

But on the issue of Somali piracy and whether it could have a resurgence there were differing views, much revolved around whether the combination of factors that are believed to have prompted its rise in the first place are still in play. This then combines with a gradual scaling down of the naval presence in the area and fewer owners using armed guards, which provides greater opportunity to successfully attack ships.

Not surprisingly there was no definitive answer to the question, but there did seem to be a sense that the pirate gangs could ramp up again over a two–three year period if the right circumstances were to come together - or the wrong circumstances from the perspective of shipping.

It would appear to be a concept promoted by the surviving PMSCs. One speaker noted of the reported of attempted attacks reported off Somalia over the last year or so all had come from vessels carrying armed security teams. Which rather begged the question whether the pirates – if that’s what they actually were – chose to attack only vessels with armed guards on them.

This segued somewhat neatly into the state of the somewhat parlous state of the PMSC sector itself. The recent voluntary liquidation of the Security Association of the Maritime Industry (SAMI), which essentially provided the standard for insurance cover related to PMSCs, underscores the uncertainty in this not so long ago burgeoning sector.

It was noted that the number of PMSCs had dropped from 150 in 2011 to 50 today, and the market could probably actually support around 30–40 at most going forward.

One of the issues for PMSCs is that while the somewhat unique circumstances off the failed state of Somalia allowed them to operate in the way they do the same does not apply to other piracy hotspots.

The biggest area of concern today is West Africa, but no one is recommending the use of PMSCs in that area as you will quickly fall foul of the coastal states. While no one was exactly singing the praises of Nigerian military approved security teams if calling in the West African state, it was also seen as the only viable option.

PMSCs also face major difficulties in operating their other potential business area which is Southeast Asia. While the conference was a caught alight by the hijacking of the Hai Soon 12, and its successful interception by the Indonesian Navy, territorial waters in that region largely prelude armed security.

The overall conclusion - don't discount piracy in risk assessments - where it actually is a bit more complex.

source:

http://www.seatrade-maritime.com/news/americas/questions-of-maritime-piracy-and-security.html

Σημείωση από το blog.

 To περιστατικό αυτό, με την εκτέλεση ενός υπαλλήλου ναυτιλιακής ασφάλειας, που οδήγησε στην αυτοκτονία του δράστη, ήταν αναμενόμενο!

Η έξαρση της τοξικής διοίκησης που εμφανίζεται πλέον πάνω σε πλοία από χαμηλής εκπαίδευσης και εμπειρίας ,κυρίως ομαδάρχες, είναι μια πραγματικότητα.

Είναι καιρός να γίνει μια συνολική συζήτηση για το αντικείμενο της ναυτιλιακής ασφάλειας και των ατόμων που καλούνται να διαχειρισθούν άτομα και να προστατέψουν περιουσίες.

Η τοξική διοίκηση, αποτελεί το μεγαλύτερο πρόβλημα στις ομάδες συνοδείας πλοίων και οι χαμηλές αμοιβές θα οξύνουν περισσότερο αυτό το πρόβλημα στο εγγύς μέλλον.