GoAGT welcomes NATO decision to continue with counter piracy operations
NATO decision to continue with counter piracy operations in the Indian Ocean demonstrates that the threat is real says maritime security company GoAGT.
Gerry Northwood OBE, COO of GoAGT, said: “This vindicates their continued investment assisting in the protection of commercial shipping in the region. It is clear to us that the decision has been made as NATO recognises the fragility of the political recovery in Somalia and the impact regression could have on security in the maritime domain.
The experience of the last few months has been that the number of attacks has been very low, but they do occur, both in the Gulf of Aden and in the Somali Basin, and the unwary could easily become the next victim of Somali piracy. While shipping companies may start to question the necessity of continued protection, none of them can risk the commercial fallout, reputational damage or risk to crew which an unforeseen attack would have.“
According to NATO sources not a single ship has been captured in the region since May 2012, and no merchant ships are currently held by Somali pirates. NATO assesses that pirates continue to possess the capacity to hijack ships and mount speculative attacks at long range from the Somali coast, something which has been substantiated by a number of Private Maritime Security Companies (PMSCS), including GoAGT reporting that they have had to deter approaches over the last six months. Operation Ocean Shield has successful mounted counter-terrorism, drug interdiction and anti-smuggling operations and its role, as one of the three security “pillars” protecting the merchant maritime community from piracy in the region is vital.
Gerry Northwood, who as a Royal Navy Captain was Commander of a NATO Task Group commanded from RFA Fort Victoria from 2011 to 2012 went on to explain: “The three security pillars are the maritime military forces, Best Management Practice 4 (BMP 4) and the Armed Security Teams (ASTs) provided by PMSCs. BMP 4 and the military patrols are a visible deterrence to Somali pirates and are reassurance to merchant mariners that there are practical and effective protection measures in place. Take one of these pillars away and the protection collapses.
Each of the security pillars plays a key role in protecting merchant vessels from hijack by Somali pirates, and the vital lesson of the past few years has been the importance of the armed security team as the final guarantor of security.“
GoAGT’s CEO, Nick Davis, summarises the wider situation, “We are fully aware that shipping companies are under pressure to lower costs whenever possible and the reduced number of attacks, and the lack of recent Somali Pirate success in capturing vessels gives shipping companies good cause to question whether they need ASTs. Each individual case needs to be judged on its own merits and risk assessed.“
Source: GoAGT
