Tag: PMSC

The Maritime Coastguard Agency announced that its latest Port Marine Safety Code Compliance exercise, has officially opened, while the deadline for submissions is until 31 March 2021.

Responding to the launch of the UK Maritime Coastguard Agency’s latest Port Marine Safety Code Compliance exercise, the British Ports Association encouraged the UK ports industry to participate in the initiative.

Dirk Steffen, director of Maritime Security at Risk Intelligence, analyzes the increase of maritime security incidents for 2016 over the previous year. Denmark-based Risk Intelligence counted 119 verified attacks by criminals on all kinds of vessels in West Africa – compared with 82 in 2015. The vast majority of attacks were perpetrated by Nigerian criminals, including all of the 84 that were concentrated in and around Nigerian waters.

In an article posted on website, the North of England P&I Club notes that the private maritime security industry has consolidated significantly, but remains fluid, and underscores a emerging issues with respect to the illegal sharing of weapons by Privately Contracted Armed Security Personnel (PCASP).

Working together, ASKET and PCA Maritime have developed a process that provides much greater certainty that a PMSC is using only weapons licenced to that company, with appropriate EUCs in place, thus ensuring compliance and eradicating liability for the ship operator and flag State.

BIMCO has been made aware that some PMSCs are using weapons “rented” or “borrowed” from other security companies. Therefore, BIMCO has updated the guidance on Clause 10 of GUARDCON to clarify the responsibilities of owners and contractors in respect of permits and licences with the aim to reinforce importance of validating firearms end user certificates.

BIMCO knows of a number of PMSCs who are using non-authentic copies of GUARDCON to conclude transit agreements with shipowners

Aspida, the first PMSC to be permanently approved by CNAPS to provide armed guard onboard French flagged vessels

The Panama Maritime Authority has accredited ESC Global Security personnel to offer protection aboard Panamanian-registered vessels, in what is thought to mark the first Private Maritime Security Companies (PMSC) licence issued under the new Panama Administration.

Reminding that the region has become extremely dangerous BIMCO issued an advisory to highlight recent events in the region and reinforce guidance.As reported by BIMCO last weekend armed pirates boarded and hijacked a fishing vessel underway off Togo. The Togo Navy responded and engaged the pirates. Twenty crew jumped overboard in an attempt to escape, and were rescued by the patrol boat. The remaining seven crew were taken hostage as the pirates fled heading out to sea. The pirates later left the ship and the crew sailed towards a safe port. One crew has been reported as killed in the incident.On Wednesday, 4 February, night it is reported by IMB that armed pirates attacked a Greek-owned tanker while it was waiting to load off Nigeria, killing its Greek deputy captain and taking hostage three other crew. The attack on the ship Kalamos, which had a crew of 23 and was sailing under a Maltese flag, took place at Qua Iboe. Members would want to know BIMCO has further heard that the Master activated the SSA and made a distress call which was received on channel 16, requesting for medical assistance as a result of injuries sustained from the pirate attack ...